Photo gallery: Women’s Strade Bianche 2016

March 6, 2016
2 minute read

A race like the Strade Bianche needs images to tell the entire story. Beneath grey clouds, but without the turbulent weather conditions that were predicted, Lizzie Armitstead (Boels-Dolmans) soloed to the win, leaving Kasia Niewiadoma (Rabo-Liv) behind in the final hundred meters of the race – not only winning the second edition of this heroïc race, but also earning herself the very first UCI Women’s WorldTour leader’s jersey.

“It’s difficult being world champion and coming to every race and being expected to win them all,” Armitstead explained after the race. She had told reporters in the pre-race press conference that the Strade Bianche wasn’t a particular target of hers. “I had a couple messages from friends and family saying: ‘You’ll win on Saturday. It will be a breeze.’ I won – but it wasn’t a breeze. And it wasn’t a breeze winning Nieuwsblad. It may have looked easy, but it wasn’t.”

It was only some time after the race that we learned a number of riders were disqualified for level crossing, with the UCI having announced to maintain the rules more strictly than ever. Among them were half of the Dutch Parkhotel Valkenburg team, Giorgia Bronzini (Wiggle High5) and top favourite Ashleigh Moolman (Cervélo-Bigla). On the team website, Moolman explains what happened: “Going into the longest gravel section, it was pretty hectic. I managed to get right to the front, but the rider in front of me took the corners too fast and I was forced into the lose gravel on a corner. I went down and had to change bikes which already was game over but I managed to do a good chase with the support of Clara [Koppenburg] and Gaby [Pilote Fortin].”

“We were just about to rejoin the front group and a train was coming so the booms were going down. It was just starting to go down and we rode across and got disqualified.”

“We were 100 meters to the peloton and there were only two cars between us. What do you do in that situation? I had never been in that situation before. I had really good legs and think I could have been on the podium today, but that’s cycling.”

After Moolman’s disqualification, Cervélo-Bigla weren’t able to put in a good result anymore, with Carmen Small being their best placed rider at 22nd place. To see what happened throughout the 121 kilometer course from Siena to Siena, take a look at this photo gallery by Sean Robinson and Balint Hamvas of Vélofocus.

Make sure you scroll right through to the bottom, since we also have highlight video’s by VoxWomen and RAI Sport 1.

Or read our race report of the Strade Bianche, which we published yesterday.

: On days like today stem notes can never have enough exclamation marks.

: Cervélo-Bigla’s Cervélo S5’s look ready to go for the 2016 Strade Bianche.

: Alexis Ryan (Canyon-SRAM) takes a moment to focus ahead of the race start being given.

: The peloton in the 2016 Strade Bianche, setting out from Siena for a total of 121 kilometers.

: Christine Majerus (Boels-Dolmans) leads the peloton across the first of seven gravel sections in the 2016 Strade Bianche.

: Gabriella Pilote Fortin (Cervélo-Bigla) gets caught in an early crash.

: Kasia Niewiadoma (Rabo-Liv) and Karol-Ann Canuel (Boels-Dolmans) set the pace as the top of the Murlo climb comes into view.

: The first peloton head to the hills at the 2016 Strade Bianche.

: Trixi Worrack (Canyon-SRAM) tests the legs of her competitors in the hills.

: Lotta Lepistö (Cervélo-Bigla) in the front group as the 2016 Strade Bianche reaches halfway.

: Nasty crash for Romy Kasper (Boels-Dolmans) at one of the gravel sections in the 2016 Strade Bianche.

: Lizzie Williams (Orica-AIS) and Carmen Small (Cervélo-Bigla) grinning or grimmacing from ear to ear up a gravelled climb.

: Lizzie Armitstead relaxed on even the toughest of climbs, with mountainbiker Jolanda Neff (Servetto Footon) – also well accustomed to off road racing – riding beside her.

: Carmen Small (Cervélo-Bigla) and Lizzie Williams (Orica-AIS) have Anna van der Breggen (Rabo-Liv) on their wheel.

: Lone leader, Nikki Harris (Boels-Dolmans) sees the road pan out in front of her.

: Gracie Elvin (Orica-AIS) and Alena Amialusik (Canyon-SRAM) setting the pace of the chase group.

: Lucinda Brand (Rabo-Liv) and Nikki Harris (Boels-Dolmans) are together at the front of the race.

: Joëlle Numainville (Cervélo-Bigla) gives her all across the gravel in the 2016 Strade Bianche

: The chase group at one of the five gravel sections in today’s race.

: The chase group approaches the end of the longest stretch of gravel, but there’s a tough climb to be tackled first – the lead group almost reached the top.

: Carmen Small (Cervélo-Bigla) has her eyes on the top of the climb.

: Lisa Brennauer (Canyon-SRAM) was one of the riders to crash after the first gravel section and wasn’t able to finish.

: Nikki Harris still well placed despite her earlier solo efforts in the 2016 Strade Bianche. She finished 23rd.

: Elisa Longo Borghini (Wiggle High5) in the thick of the action as the race enters its final third, with 2015 winner Megan Guarnier (Boels-Dolmans) on her wheel.

: Kasia Niewiadoma, Lizzie Armitstead and Emma Johansson escape in the final 15 kilometers of the race.

: The next group on the road haven’t given up yet.

: Final 10 kilometers for the lead three at the 2016 Strade Bianche.

: Lizzie Armitstead (Boels-Dolmans) wins Strade Bianche 2016 and is the first leader in the 2016 Women’s WorldTour.

The first images of the race were provided by VoxWomen, who published its two minute video within an hour after the race, giving us with the first moving images of this heroïc race.