The strongest team on the day by numbers, with Vollering, Chabbey, Curinier, Koch and Kraak all in the early lead group. When Vollering's race fell apart with a Le Tolfe puncture, the depth paid off anyway: Chabbey attacked early to put a card up the road, regrouped into the front eight, and won the sprint, while Franziska Koch covered moves and held third. A two-on-the-podium result built on numbers and a willingness to race aggressively rather than ride for a single protected leader.
Cycling Results · Post-Race Analysis · Édition 2026
Strade Bianche (Women)
2026
Elise Chabbey won the biggest race of her career, timing her sprint to perfection up the ramp to the Piazza del Campo to beat Kasia Niewiadoma and her own FDJ teammate Franziska Koch out of a final group of eight. A chaotic 131 km over 11 gravel sectors saw the pre-race favourites — Vollering, Kopecky, Ferrand-Prévot, Le Court — eliminated by mechanicals and a chase group that followed a race motorbike off the course, handing the win to the survivors of a thrilling late tactical battle.
Chabbey times it to perfection in an explosive Piazza del Campo sprint
OPENING131 km over 11 gravel sectors around Siena. The first crunch point came on the fourth sector, San Martino in Grania — nearly 10 km long — which split the peloton; the front group exited at over 60 km to go already down to 24 riders. FDJ United-SUEZ was the most heavily represented team in the lead group, with Demi Vollering supported by Chabbey, Léa Curinier, Koch and Amber Kraak controlling the tempo. Most pre-race favourites made the selection, including Niewiadoma despite an earlier crash; notable casualties already were Kim Le Court and Anna van der Breggen, the latter with a mechanical.
UNFOLDSOn the first ascent of Colle Pinzuto with ~50 km left, Chabbey attacked with Dominika Włodarczyk and built a ~30-second lead into the Le Tolfe sector at 42 km to go. That sector wrecked the favourites' day: Pauline Ferrand-Prévot suffered a mechanical and waited an age for assistance, and Vollering punctured while following a Longo Borghini attack. By the Strada del Castagno sector (39 km to go) the leaders were caught by a ~15-rider chase, but Vollering, Kopecky and Ferrand-Prévot were no longer in it.
DECIDEDThe decisive moment was not a climb but a navigation error: with just under 33 km to go, a chase group containing Vollering, Kopecky and a returning Le Court followed a race motorbike that turned right onto the wrong gravel road, drifting a few hundred metres off course. The roughly one-minute gap to the front ballooned toward three minutes, ending the favourites' hopes outright. Up front, Chabbey and Longo Borghini traded blows on the second ascent of Colle Pinzuto; Niewiadoma bridged up; and on the final ascent of Le Tolfe, Longo Borghini and Niewiadoma pulled clear with Pieterse bridging, before the chasing quartet of Chabbey, Koch, Vallieres and Vos clawed back the gap with 6 km to go to leave eight riders together.
FINALEDetente in the final kilometres set up a sprint. Trinca Colonel and Koch each tried late attacks that were marked. On the high-tempo climb to the Piazza del Campo, Longo Borghini led into the all-important right-hand corner with Niewiadoma, Chabbey and Koch glued to her wheel. Chabbey came past the trio with a little over 200 metres remaining and powered to the line ahead of Niewiadoma, with Koch holding third to give FDJ two on the podium. Longo Borghini and Vallieres rounded out the top five at +0:03 and +0:06.
Where the race tilted
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First split on the 10 km sectorThe day's longest gravel stretch cut the lead group to 24 riders with over 60 km still to race, setting up a war of attrition. FDJ United-SUEZ, the best-represented team, took control around Demi Vollering.
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Mechanicals wreck the favouritesPauline Ferrand-Prévot suffered a mechanical and waited a long time for service; Vollering punctured following a Longo Borghini attack. Two of the top favourites lost contact with the lead in a single sector.
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Chase follows a motorbike off the routeA chasing group with Vollering, Kopecky and Le Court followed a race motorbike onto a wrong right-hand gravel turn, ending up a few hundred metres off course. The ~1-minute deficit swelled toward three minutes, decisively ending their chances.
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Longo Borghini and Niewiadoma force the moveOn the steep final ascent of Le Tolfe, Longo Borghini and Niewiadoma pulled clear with Pieterse bridging over the crest. Their refusal to cooperate let the Chabbey-Koch-Vallieres-Vos quartet regroup with 6 km left, restoring an eight-rider front group.
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Chabbey's perfectly timed sprintLongo Borghini led into the final right-hander with Niewiadoma, Chabbey and Koch on her wheel. Chabbey surged past all three with a little over 200 metres to go and held to the line for the biggest win of her career.
Who pressed, who missed
Kasia Niewiadoma crashed earlier in the race yet made every selection, bridged to the Longo Borghini move on the final Le Tolfe, and was the rider Chabbey had to come around in the sprint. Second by the width of the Piazza del Campo — a strong return on a day that punished the slightest misfortune, but ultimately the runner-up.
Elisa Longo Borghini was the most aggressive rider in the finale — her attack on Le Tolfe triggered Vollering's chase-ending puncture, and she went toe-to-toe with Niewiadoma and Chabbey on Colle Pinzuto and the final Le Tolfe. She led the bunch into the decisive last corner but couldn't hold the inside line, fading to fourth at +0:03. Włodarczyk's early move with Chabbey also kept UAE in the front of the race throughout.
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot's race ended on Le Tolfe with a mechanical and a long wait for assistance, removing one of the strongest gravel riders in the field. Marianne Vos salvaged the day, making the front group of eight and finishing seventh at +0:34 — a steady, experienced ride from a team whose lead card had already been knocked out by bad luck.
Magdeleine Vallieres survived the carnage to make the decisive eight-rider group and sprint to fifth at +0:06, a strong Classics result from the Canadian. With Noemi Rüegg also in the mix just behind in 11th, EF came away with two riders inside the top eleven of a brutally selective edition.
How each story played out
The biggest win of Chabbey's career and her first WorldTour one-day victory. She raced proactively all day — attacking on the first Colle Pinzuto with ~50 km to go alongside Włodarczyk to put pressure on the favourites, then regrouping into the front eight when the move was caught. In the sprint up to the Piazza del Campo she stayed patient on the wheels of Longo Borghini, Niewiadoma and Koch through the final corner, then came past all three with a little over 200 metres to go to win. Her sixth career victory and first on Italian soil.
- 50 kmAttacked on the first Colle Pinzuto with Włodarczyk, building a ~30s lead
- 0.2 kmSurged past Longo Borghini, Niewiadoma and Koch out of the final corner to win
Crashed earlier in the race but recovered to make every selection. She bridged across to the Longo Borghini move on an uphill drag and was prominent in the late attacking, then led the chasing quartet's regroup. In the sprint she was the rider Chabbey came around, taking second by a hair on the climb to Piazza del Campo.
- 12 kmBridged to the Longo Borghini front move on the final Le Tolfe
The most aggressive rider of the finale. Her attack on Le Tolfe at 42 km to go was the move Vollering punctured while following. She traded blows with Chabbey on the second Colle Pinzuto and forced the decisive split with Niewiadoma on the final Le Tolfe. Led the group into the last corner but lost the inside line and faded to fourth at +0:03 — animator of the race without the reward.
- 42 kmAttacked on Le Tolfe — Vollering punctured while following
- 12 kmForced the front split with Niewiadoma on the final Le Tolfe
Survived a hugely selective race to make the front group of eight and contest the sprint, finishing fifth at +0:06. A standout Classics ride for the Canadian on the white roads.
Bridged across to the Longo Borghini-Niewiadoma move over the crest of the final Le Tolfe, putting herself in the decisive front trio. A near-crash when she caught Longo Borghini's wheel briefly threatened her finale; she came home sixth at +0:16, just off the eight-rider front group's sprint.
- 12 kmBridged to the front move over the crest of the final Le Tolfe
Made the front group of eight and finished seventh at +0:34. With teammate Ferrand-Prévot eliminated by a mechanical, Vos was Visma's best finisher — an experienced, steady ride in a chaotic edition.
Fought back to the front group after being briefly distanced and launched an immediate attack inside the final kilometres that was marked. Eighth at +0:37 — an attacking, attention-catching ride.
- 6 kmRejoined the front group and launched an immediate (marked) attack
Tenth at +1:47, the second of two Lidl-Trek riders inside the top ten alongside Shirin van Anrooij in ninth. A solid result on a day that shredded the bunch.
Crashes, abandons, controversy
A breakthrough win amid a favourites' wipeout
Strade Bianche Donne 2026 was decided as much by misfortune as by legs: Vollering's puncture, Ferrand-Prévot's mechanical, Le Court's mechanical and the off-course motorbike incident removed the bulk of the pre-race favourites before the finale. Out of the chaos, Elise Chabbey delivered the breakthrough of her career — a first WorldTour one-day win at one of the sport's marquee races, and a two-on-the-podium day for FDJ United-SUEZ with Franziska Koch third. Niewiadoma's second despite an early crash and Longo Borghini's all-action fourth were the day's other headlines.
Where this analysis comes from
- 🇬🇧 Domestique — Chabbey times it to perfection to win thrilling Strade Bianche Donne
- 🇬🇧 Domestique — Strade Bianche Women 2026 - Race results
- 🇬🇧 Cyclingnews — Strade Bianche Women: Elise Chabbey lands surprise victory in electric conclusion to a thriller in Tuscany
- 🇬🇧 ProCyclingStats — Strade Bianche Women 2026 result