The 2023 edition of the Gran Fondo Strade Bianche Enel Green Power was presented at the prestigious Technogym headquarters in the centre of Milan. On 5 March, it will open the doors of Siena to all the amateurs who want to enjoy the experience of a Sunday ride like a Professional, on the same ‘sterrati’ tracks that the great aces of world cycling will have covered the day before. Also in 2023, the Gran Fondo Strade Bianche Enel Green Power offers a route with breathtaking views, which has no equals in the world, and which amateurs now feel as their own and particularly love. In addition to the new routes, the new jerseys, manufactured by Sportful, and the new glasses, manufactured by Koo, were also presented during the event.
THE ROUTE OF THE GRAN FONDO STRADE BIANCHE ENEL GREEN POWER
The race largely shares the course with the Women Élite event. There are approximately 42 km of gravel roads (30.2% of the route) appearing in 9 sectors (some of which are “new” to both men’s and women’s races).
Starting from Siena (near the stadium/Fortezza Medicea area), the route reaches the 1 st gravel
sector at km 11 (2.1 km). The 2nd sector (5.8 km) is just a few kilometres away featuring stretches with gradients around and over 12%. Upon reaching Radi, the route takes in sector 3 (4.4 km)), immediately followed by sector 4 (6.4 km), with no major gradients, which leads to Ponte d’Arbia. Here, the route crosses the Cassia to take in the new Serravalle sector, 5 (10.7 km). This sector ends at Monteroni d’Arbia, and is followed almost immediately by the 6th gravel sector, San Martino in Grania (9.5 km), trought the Crete Senesi. Past Castelnuovo Berardenga, sector 7 at Montaperti is only 800 m in length but has double-digit gradients along the climb. The route takes in the 8 th and penultimate sector on the steep of Colle Pinzuto climb (with gradients peaking as high as 15%). The 9th and final gravel sector (1.1 km), with slopes of 18%, ends at Tolfe. From there, just over 12 km remain until the finish located in Piazza del Campo, the heart of Siena.
SHIMANO NEUTRAL SERVICE
Shimano’s commitment to offering neutral assistance is made to ensure that all riders continue to compete and successfully complete their participation in the race even in the face of technical problems. A team of mechanics deployed in cars and motorbikes provides mobile assistance to follow the group of athletes on the road. SHIMANO technicians have been supporting cyclists in events around the world for over 35 years. The team of service mechanics can be found everywhere, from national races to local cycling events to top international races and world-class competitions. You will recognise the team of mechanics by the iconic blue cars following the race. And of course you will always receive a warm welcome and friendly advice at the blue gazebos and SHIMANO service areas at events around the world.
RIDE GREEN STRADE BIANCHE
For this 2023 edition of the Gran Fondo Strade Bianche Enel Green Power, RCS Sport and Sei Toscana (the sole manager, of the integrated urban waste service in the provinces of the Toscana Sud, geographical area as of 1 January 2014) are launching the Ride Green Strade Bianche project (for both the Pro race and the Gran Fondo), based on separate waste collection, which aims at making the race increasingly sustainable, environmentally and territorially aware, in line with the objectives of Agenda 2030. This initiative is linked to the Giro d’Italia project called Ride Green, which starts in May. Being able to measure the impact of the event in environmental terms and, consequently, devising and implementing compensation systems for the CO2 emissions produced, is one of the best ways to make this green project virtuous and concretely sustainable.
LOCAL PARTNERS
- Ance
- Birra Bader
- Fiore
- Fonterutoli
- La Macelleria
- Mukki
- Sei Toscana
QUOTES
Paolo Bettini, 2004 Olympic Champion and 2006 and 2007 World Champion: “This year I will be once again at the start of the Gran Fondo Strade Bianche Enel Green Power, it’s a beautiful race and the route, despite the absence of the Monte Sante Marie sector, is still very demanding. It’s important to be focused and to find the right balance because every stretch of gravel, even the easiest on paper, can be very tricky. I have participated in almost every edition of this Gran Fondo and, in my career as a Professional, I was also lucky enough to be at the start of the first editions of the race. I would like to suggest the amateursnot to ride these sectors at the same speed that they will see the previous day. The Gran Fondo is above all fun”.
Paolo Bellino, Managing Director at RCS Sport: “We’re getting ready to experience a great weekend of cycling between Saturday’s races, the Strade Bianche Women Élite and the Strade Bianche, which by now represent two of the most important cycling competitions in the world, and Sunday’s Gran Fondo Strade Bianche Enel Green Power, a race that is ever growing, year after year, with increasing interest and participation from all over the world. We will pass through enchanting places that are entering the hearts of all the fans and that are growing in visibility, also thanks to the promotion and interest brought by these competitions. We do believe that this will continue to work and that the numbers, in terms of participation and beyond, will continue to grow”.
Luca Onofrio, Head of Mass Events at RCS Sports and Events: “The Gran Fondo Strade Bianche Enel Green Power is a unique event, and this is demonstrated by the growing interest in this race. There is some news this year, starting with the route, which was softened after speaking with some of the participants of the previous editions. In addition, we have significant data on the prestige that this race has achieved in the world, since over 30% of the 6500 participants are foreigners, a symbol of the beauty of cycling on these roads and with these landscapes as a backdrop”.
Luigi de Mossi, Mayor of Siena: “Strade Bianche is Siena: it means culture, territory, art, as well as sport. These are the values that we want to promote, thanks to RCS Sport, for a splendid synergy of the entire community. The Strade Bianche will renew its appointment in our city, for that ‘great beauty’ that will take our splendid panoramas around the world. Cycling is history, and it merges perfectly with the history, culture, and traditions of our city: Siena has always had a vocation for excellence, and with the ‘Europe’s southernmost northern Classic’ it has been proud to be part of world cycling for years’.
Paolo Benini, Councillor for Sport of the Municipality of Siena: “Strade Bianche is now a classic appointment for Siena and its entire territory. It is a beautiful race, which I have had the opportunity to appreciate even more since I have been Councillor for Sport. It is a development model for the territory: sport, beyond its value, is important from the perspective of the environment, promotion, knowledge of the territory, and health. Further to the international professional part, this year we hit a whopping 6500 registered participants for the Gran Fondo on the following day. This is a road on which to continue”.
Francesco Lazzeri, Enel Green Power geothermal plant operations manager: “The Gran Fondo Strade Bianche Enel Green Power, by the very vocation of its name and its marvellous routes, is a hymn to sustainability and to the beauty of our territories, which, in the province of Siena, also include the geothermal areas that make up part of the ‘warm heart’ of Tuscany. It is therefore a great pleasure for us to be a partner in an event that glorifie sport, landscape and the region that has been the home of geothermal energy for centuries. The use of geothermal energy began right on these lands about 200 years ago. This renewable and sustainable resource in Tuscany counts 34 power plants, located in the provinces of Siena, Pisa, and Grosseto, with a green production that meets more than 30% of the regional electricity needs and accounts for 70% of the renewable energy in the region. But geothermal energy also means sustainable tourism with museum centres, trekking routes, parks, natural events and one-of-a-kind slow food industry. This endeavour is made by teaming up with top-notch world-class events such as the Strade Bianche”.
Alessio Cremonese, CEO of Manifattura Valcismon: “Tuscany has always been a land of cycling. Gravel roads, hills, and breathtaking views symbolise one of the most beautiful races in the world: the Strade Bianche. The jerseys designed by Sportful for this edition of the Gran Fondo Strade Bianche Enel Green Power are inspired by the distinctive features of the territory of Siena and recall the typical colours of the beautiful Tuscan hills. On the one hand, for the women’s version, the sunset that lights up the sky of Siena on a typical spring evening. On the other, for the men’s version, the iconic green of the Sienese hills: a combination of shade that conveys the emotions that only the Gran Fondo Strade Bianche Enel Green Power is capable of awakening in all the enthusiasts of this sport”.
Ylenia Battistello, Executive Assistant of Kask and Koo: “KASK has been by the side of the Tuscan event since 2015, and it will once again present in next March’s edition, serving the dual role of Official Sponsor of Strade Bianche and of Official Partner of the Gran Fondo Strade Bianche Enel Green Power. A definite choice by the Bergamo-based company, which shares the same ability to rewrite cycling based on steadfast principles, such as cyclists’ safety, with a modern interpretation of the discipline, as this event. In the wake of this successful partnership, since 2017 KOO Eyewear has also joined the pool of brands that support the race in the lands of Siena and, on the occasion of the Gran Fondo Strade Bianche Enel Green Power on 5 March, KOO Eyewear is launching two new versions of the iconic Supernova eyewear inspired by the colours of the men’s and women’s uniforms, providing a greatly attractive modern total look”.
Silvana Pezzoli, vice-president of Sitip: “Sitip reconfirms itself as a partner of RCS Sport, linking itself more and more to the cycling events with its offer of high performance fabrics that find their main application in sportswear. Also in 2023 Sitip is partner of Strade Bianche and it is just with the participants of the Gran Fondo Strade Bianche Enel Green Power in mind that Sitip has provided its fabric to manufacture the technical waistcoat, that each competitor will find in the race pack, branded Sportful, a company from Belluno and leader in the technical sports sector. The latest-generation AQUAZERO ECO fluorine-free water repellent treatment has been applied to the fabric, which complies with Bluesign and OEKO TEX certifications and makes the fabric resistant to multiple washes, while maintaining good breathability and easy air drying, for maximum cyclist comfort”.
