How to watch Strade Bianche 2023 | Global options for live TV, streaming and highlights

How to catch the women’s and men’s early-season racing from Italy

By Paul Norman

Published: Friday, 24 February 2023 at 12:00 am

The 2023 Strade Bianche takes place on Saturday 4 March. Both the men’s and women’s races include multiple sections on Tuscany’s famous white roads, which give the race its name.

Both finish with the spectacularly steep climb to the Piazza del Campo in Siena. This includes sections of the Via Santa Caterina, which enters the ancient city and ramps up to a leg-busting 16 per cent gradient.

The last few races have been in dry conditions, which raises plumes of chalk dust as the riders traverse the sterrato white road sections. If things turn wet, it can lead to epic conditions like those in which Tiesj Benoot won caked in mud in 2018.

Here’s how to see the action – wet or dry – live on TV, streaming online or on catch-up.

2023 Strade Bianche race schedule and favourites

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The women’s route includes eight strada bianca sections.

The women’s race starts at 11.30am CET and includes eight strada bianca sections, totalling more than 30km of the 136km course.

There are 24 women’s teams of seven riders taking part. This includes the 17 Women’s WorldTour teams, plus seven wildcards.

Last year, the race was won by Belgium’s Lotte Kopecky, who out-sprinted Annemiek van Vleuten on the final approach to the finish line.

Having missed out last year, van Vleuten will be looking to take a third title in this, her final season before retirement.

This could see her join Fabian Cancellara as only the second rider to have won three editions of Strade Bianche and have a marker in her honour placed on a strada bianca segment.

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The men’s race includes 63km of gravel roads.

The men’s race covers 184km and takes in 11 off-road sections, totalling 63km. This includes two sections over 11km in length; the shortest is just 800m.

All 18 UCI Men’s WorldTour teams will be represented at the 2023 Strade Bianche, plus there are seven wildcard teams including recently demoted Israel-Premier Tech and Lotto Dstny. That makes a total of 25 taking to the start line, with seven riders in each team.

Last year’s winner was Tadej Pogačar, who won from a solo break with 50km to go. This year, he’s opted for a last-minute schedule switch to Paris-Nice, which starts on the next day.

Fresh from his win in the cyclocross world championships, Mathieu van der Poel, who won in 2021, or his eternal rival Wout van Aert, the 2020 winner, should be hot favourites.

How can I watch Strade Bianche 2023 live in the UK?

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The Strade Bianche is a chaotic, exciting and (usually) oh-so-dusty highlight of the racing calendar.
MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images

Eurosport will show live coverage of both the men’s and women’s editions of the 2023 Strade Bianche. Coverage starts at 10.30am UK time and, as usual, there’s an on-demand option.

Eurosport is being merged with Discovery+, with a subscription costing £6.99 per month or £59.99 per year. It’s available on a range of platforms including tablets, mobile, TV with Chromecast or AirPlay, Android TV and Apple TV.

You can also watch the Strade Bianche 2023 men’s and women’s races on GCN+. Women’s race coverage starts at 10.30am UK time and continues to 12.50pm, when men’s racing takes over until 4pm.

A monthly subscription to GCN+ costs £6.99, the same as Discovery+; an annual subscription to GCN+ costs £39.99.

How can I watch Strade Bianche 2023 live in the US?

The racing is available on GCN+ in the US, both live and on-demand, with a subscription costing $8.99 a month or $49.99 for the whole year, which will also give you access to a wide range of other races including the Giro d’Italia.

How can I watch Strade Bianche 2023 live in Australia?

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Even in dry conditions, Strade Bianche can be tough and dirty.
MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images

SBS will be covering the women’s and men’s racing live and on-demand, with live coverage of the women’s race on SBS Viceland starting at 10pm AEDT, while GCN+ will also have coverage of Strade Bianche 2023 for viewers in Australia.

How else can I watch Strade Bianche 2023?

There’s live terrestrial coverage in many European countries. Italian national broadcaster RAI is a race partner and will be broadcasting the race live and on demand. If you’ve got a VPN, you may be able to register and log in to its website and watch live.

How can I watch Strade Bianche 2023 if I can’t watch live coverage?

YouTube is a good option if you want shorter highlights and you don’t have on-demand access to any of the above sources.