Gran Fondo Strade Bianche

Siena, Italy 08 Mar 2026 Class CPTR – Cycling For All – Road

Website https://gfstradebianche.it/ Email granfondo@rcs.it

The Gran Fondo Strade Bianche 2026, which took place on March 8, saw a record turnout of 8,500 participants.

Here are the details about the composition and the event:

Participant limit: The event was officially sold out with 8,500 starting places.

Distribution: Approximately 6,500 places were allocated via regular online registration, while the remaining 2,000 places were distributed via tour operators, charity partners, and invitations.

Internationality: Around 35% of the riders came from abroad.

New for 2026: To increase safety with the high number of participants, there were separate start times for the two routes (Gran Fondo and Medio Fondo) for the first time.

As usual, the route took riders along the famous white gravel roads of Tuscany, with the spectacular finish line in Piazza del Campo in Siena.

There was Luxembourg participation in the 2026 Strade Bianche (both in the professional race and in the Gran Fondo for amateurs).

Professionals (World Tour)

Two Luxembourg professionals competed in the men’s elite race on March 7, 2026, and performed strongly on the “Tuscan Gravel” sectors:

• Kévin Geniets (Groupama-FDJ): He finished the race in a respectable 49th place (+10:15 min behind winner Tadej Pogačar). Geniets worked hard for his teammate Romain Grégoire, who finished fourth.

• Mathieu Kockelmann (Lotto-Intermarché): The young talent was also on the start list and gained valuable experience in this extremely tough classic.

Gran Fondo (amateurs)

Luxembourg riders were also among the 8,500 participants in the Gran Fondo Strade Bianche on March 8, 2026. As this is a mass event, there is no official “national team,” but the results lists show participants with a Luxembourg license or residence.

As a rule, Luxembourgish starters form a small but loyal group (often between 15 and 30 people), who often travel via specialized cycling tour operators or private groups.

The exact rankings in the respective age groups (master categories) can be filtered via the official timing portal ENDU if you are looking for a specific person.

In addition to Suzi Godart, who won her age group (Master Women 6), there was another remarkable success for Luxembourg at the Gran Fondo Strade Bianche 2026:

Enzo Mezzapesa also won his age group.

Here are the details of the Luxembourg podium finishes:

• Suzi Godart (Master Women 6): 1st place. She has been a fixture in Luxembourg master cycling for years and was able to put her experience on gravel to good use.

• Enzo Mezzapesa (Master Men 6): 1st place. He is a very well-known name in the Luxembourg amateur scene (formerly also active in professional racing) and dominated his category at this year’s edition in the hills of Tuscany.

There was also a very good placing in the top 10:

• Claude Degano achieved a strong 5th place in his age group, which is a remarkable achievement in a field of 8,500 starters.

Overall, Luxembourg was very successfully represented in relation to the size of the country, especially in the experienced master categories, where Luxembourg riders often compete at the very front.