Strade Bianche the perfect curtain-raiser for Women's WorldTour calendar

The women's WorldTour calendar will commence in captivating fashion this weekend when the Strade Bianche opens the curtain for 71 days of racing in 2022.

The peloton pass through the Tuscany landscape during the 2021 women's Strade Bianche Source: Getty Images

SBS On Demand will air the women's edition of the 2022 Strade Bianche, with coverage set to commence at 9:35pm (AEDT) this Saturday, March 5.

The women's edition, organised by RCS, will start and end in Siena, with 31.6 kilometres of gravel roads forming a decisive part of the 136km course.

Teeming with solo breaks and tactical battles, not to mention the stunning white roads of Tuscany, the Strade Bianche never disappoints, and the eighth instalment will undoubtedly prove as much.

The white roads are scattered throughout the route, beginning with a 2.1km downhill stretch and ending with 1.1km that contain both a downhill and 18 per cent climb just 12km out from the finish line.

Of the eight gravel sectors, the most difficult is the 9.5km San Martino in Grania sector; situated right in the middle of the race.

There, steep gradients and sharp descents await the riders over a twisting trek, where only the bravest will make an early move out from the peloton and towards victory.

A steep climb near the finish line in the Piazza del Campo will be equally testing, though this was exactly where Chantal van den Broek-Blaak made her move last year; tiring out Elisa Longo Borghini before dropping her with an attack up the final ascent.

The Netherlands have dominated the event since 2018, with Anna van der Breggen and Broek-Blaak reigning supreme either side of an Annemiek van Vleuten double in 2019 and 2020.

Van Vleuten looms as the favourite for Saturday's race, having won both a stage and overall title last month in Spain, as well as the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad last weekend.

Broek-Blaak won't be too far away, however, and will have a strong SD Worx team around her eager to control the peloton with the likes of Demi Vollering, Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio and Lotte Kopecky.

Trek-Segafredo are another strong squad set to contend, with former champion Borghini and reigning world champions Elisa Balsamo both in their ranks.

The American team will also feature Audrey Cordon-Ragot, Ellen van Dijk and Lucinda Brand on the start line - the latter due to make her return to road racing after falling to Marianne Vos at the Cyclo-cross World Championships in Fayetteville.

Vos, too, will make her road debut for the 2022 season on Saturday, and the Jumbo–Visma star will be another name to watch alongside Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM), Mavi Garcia (UAE Team ADQ), and FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope riders Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig and Marta Cavalli.