Preview: (Almost) all the biggest names are set to race Strade Bianche

The cycling world is abuzz with the impending Strade Bianche, as the provisional start list confirms a star-studded field. Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) leads the men's race, with Visma-Lease a Bike fielding a strong contingent including Christophe Laporte and Attila Valter. The women's peloton is equally stacked, featuring defending champion Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime), Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek), and Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike), promising an electrifying race across the Tuscan gravel.

This year's Strade Bianche holds particular significance, with Pogačar making his season debut and Vollering seeking to defend her title against a formidable lineup. The race, often a bellwether for the spring classics, has grown in stature, attracting top talent eager to test their form on its unique white roads. The absence of Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert, while notable, merely opens the door for other contenders to etch their names into the race's relatively young, yet prestigious, history.

So, while a few marquee names opt for a different path to the classics, Strade Bianche remains the undisputed early-season spectacle. The gravel will sort out the pretenders from the contenders, as it always does.