Siena, home to one of the most spectacular races in the WorldTour calendar, the Strade Bianche and its little brother, the Granfondo Strade Bianche for those that want to ride the same white roads as the pros.
The Team EF Coaching Pro Race Camp puts you at the heart of our pro performance set-up, providing an unparalleled experience combining the tailored support of our team with fantastic Italian culture, cuisine and accommodation.
Get the best possible preparation for your Gran Fondo, learn from an elite support crew, including pro level training recon rides with packages starting from $4,950.
Team EF Coaching Pro Race camps run alongside the races of our WorldTour team, EF Education-EasyPost, and as such benefit from all the support you would expect as a pro athlete, whatever your level.
We start each day with a Veloviewer briefing on the route, as well as covering strategy and tips for the different sectors and the race overall.
Our daily training rides on reconnaissance routes curated by the team are structured to deliver the best results from your pre-race training, with pro coaches beside you every pedal stroke to help work on your technique, form and fueling.
Benefit from pre and post-ride treatments and meals, including revitalizing massages to get you in the pro mindset and sports nutrition from Amacx.
You can even rent one or buy of our Cannondale SuperSix team bikes for the full pro setup.
On-hand mechanics, vehicles and soigneurs just like the pros and of course the chance to meet the team at the race.
It all adds up to a Gran Fondo and race experience that is simply unobtainable anywhere else.
You can't get closer to the action with our brand new four star hotel being close to the route and near to the start and finish of both the WorldTour race and Gran Fondo, as well as the beautiful roads around Siena. The Hotel La Certosa di Pontignano is a converted historic monastery surronded by vineyards and beautiful scenery and features it's own church, a dedicated bike room, meeting room, restaurant and bar.
Facilities also include secure parking and bike storage. A full buffet breakfast each day will set you up for training rides and lunches and dinners will let you sample the best of Tuscan cuisine. There's also a wide selection of post-ride nutrition products to help you recover after recons and racing.
The Gran Fondo Strade Bianche has fast become one of the most popular sportive events in Europe with over 6,000 riders competing each year.
The Gran Fondo largely shares the course with the Women's Elite event and is 142,5km with 54,7km of gravel roads and 2,250m climbing, there's also a medio fondo option of 86.8km, 21.6 KM of gravel and 1,350m climbing.
Though both the routes are undulating, with no lengthy climbs, but punchy hills, especially on the unpaved parts, this is a seriously challenging event for both intermediate and advanced riders who have a performance focus.
In 2023 we had EF Education-EasyPost Michael Valgren join us for the camp and after finishing 2nd in the Gran Fondo his average watts were higher than when he was 9th in the WorldTour race, so it's not a ride to be taken lightly.
Newly added to the route is the most popular and most challenging sector of Monte Sante Marie, named after Fabian Cancellara, with gradients exceeding 15% on both climbs and descents.
There are roughly 55 km of gravel roads (38.4% of the total race route) appearing in 10 sectors (some of which are “new” to both the women’s and men’s Pro race).
Find out more about the Gran Fondo here - https://gfstradebianche.it/en/
As well as in depth training rides on key sectors of the race and a roadbook that fully prepares you for the Gran Fondo, our coaches will prepare a nutrition plan for you, plus start and finish line support on the day.
UNESCO World Heritage Site Siena is home to an incredible variety of medieval buildings, museums and other attractions and is one of the most beautiful cities in Italy. The famous Piazza del Campo is host to both the Palio horse race and the finish line of the Strade Bianche. The surrounding rolling hills of Tuscany are both stunning and challenging to ride making the area an absolute bucket list destination for cyclists.
Italy is home to arguably the best food in the world and some of the most revered Italian cuisine is from the Tuscany region. Dinners and lunches will take in some of the best local dishes, made from fresh local produce, in great restaurants, while making sure that dietary requirements are met for a solid block of training and racing. A wealth of options from the breakfast buffet will give you all the energy you need for each ride, including an early breakfast on Gran Fondo day.
Rider's companions will be able to explore the historic city of Siena and surrounding Tuscan countryside as well as enjoying easy access to the Gran Fondo and WorldTour race start and finish. With the historic centre of Siena nearby and Florence, Arezzo and Pisa just over 1 hour drive, there's plenty to experience in all directions, on and off the bike.
How fit do I need to be?
There's no hard 'minimum standard' of fitness on our Pro Race Camps but you should be fit enough to complete the race event within the time cut-off and to be comfortable on our recon rides we would suggest that being able to sustain 25-30kph on flat terrain in a group is best. On hills or other technical sectors we tend to take them at our own pace and regroup at the end. Our support vehicle is always on hand to help. This is a performance camp where our coaches and support staff are dedicated to helping you get the best result and experience on race day.
Where will I be in the Gran Fondo start grid?
As an official partner of RCS - the Gran Fondo Strade Bianche organizer, Team EF Coaching get preferential start positions for our athletes, this is typically within the first 200 positions.
When should I arrive?
Our camps start first thing on day one, ideally you should have your bike and kit ready to go at this point however we understand travel times may not always fit with this. We've included the accommodation for night before in order to make sure you get the most out of the camp.
When do I depart?
As above, we understand logistics may not always work perfectly with timing but we suggest you plan to leave on the Monday after the camp, we will support you with transfers to major airports and stations nearby.
Our experience starts from $4,950 USD per person for solo occupancy of a room and varies depending only on any extras you may have booked. Additional non-riding guests can join for $2,150 USD.
*Booking for main guests on link, additional non-riding guests can be added after booking, other extras can be added after booking.