Racing
Strong teamwork on display at Strade Bianche
The hills of Tuscany deliver yet another spectacular race
March 4, 2023
Our squad had done their homework ahead of Strade Bianche and the race proved to be just as challenging as expected.
The race started fast and it stayed that way all day. As the pack ticked off gravel sectors, the peloton kept thinning out until just a handful remained. Lauren Stephens put on a great ride, crossing the line in 21st.
Thursday’s recon provided essential insight, allowing our riders to enter the gravel sectors exactly where they wanted to be.
“We had some great moves going into sector five,” Lauren Stephens said at the finish line. “We were all together. There were some crashes into that so that was really, really, really good to be together. We were right at the front which just made that section so much easier and then the same right into sector six. That was where the race exploded. I went into that in the top 20. Veronica and I were there in the front group and then it split again. I finished with the group I was with and Veronica did the same.”
At the finish line, the mood was equal parts celebration and disappointment. Our riders were encouraged by how they supported one another throughout the day while lamenting missed opportunities.
“A day like today,” said sport director Daniel Foder, “is a reminder that we still need to improve as a team in everything we do. I’m confident it will happen. Everybody is one hundred committed to that work.”
Lauren agreed, saying that she and her teammates were eager to take today’s learnings and put them into practice.
“That was one of the best Strades we’ve had. It’s going in the right direction.”
Our team lines up next on Sunday at Trofeo Oro. After Strade Bianche, it will feel like a traditional road race, featuring laps around the city of Cinquale for a total of 106 kilometers.