The bicycle race held over the gravel roads near Siena is called Strade Bianche.
Strade Bianche is an Italian one-day road race whose name means “white roads,” referring to the pale gravel lanes of Tuscany. The course includes numerous sterrati sectors, and the race finishes in Siena’s historic centre, with the final climb leading toward Piazza del Campo.
The event was first held in 2007 as Monte Paschi Eroica and was later renamed Strade Bianche. Its combination of paved roads, gravel, hills and an ancient-city finish quickly made it distinctive on the professional calendar.
Although it is a modern race, its atmosphere recalls older European classics. Riders must manage puncture risk, dust, changing grip and repeated climbs. The race is sometimes confused with the Eroica sportive, a separate vintage-bicycle event inspired by historic cycling.