Chabbey Stuns at Strade Bianche Women After Wrong-Turn Chaos
Elise Chabbey of Switzerland claimed a shock victory at Strade Bianche Women 2026, sprinting to victory in the Piazza del Campo after a dramatic race decided more by misfortune than pure racing merit. The Swiss champion defeated Kasia Niewiadoma in second place, with Franziska Koch and Elisa Longo Borghini rounding out the podium in third and fourth. The victory marked Chabbey's biggest one-day success, but it came under circumstances that left many questioning the integrity of the race outcome.
The pivotal moment came with approximately 33 kilometres remaining, when a race motorbike leading a chase group took a wrong turn onto an unmarked road. The incident was catastrophic for several major contenders, as Demi Vollering, the defending champion, Lotte Kopecky, and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot all followed the erroneous route and were consequently unable to regain contact with the main leaders. The organisational error effectively eliminated three of the race's strongest contenders from genuine podium contention in a single moment.
Vollering's evening was made worse by earlier mechanical misfortune, as she suffered a puncture that cost her valuable time and forced her to chase for much of the race. The FDJ United-SUEZ star, riding in her first race with her new team after transferring from SD Worx-Protime, was left visibly frustrated by the sequence of events that conspired against her. Her absence from the final sprint removed a formidable opponent and allowed Chabbey, Niewiadoma, and Koch to contest the finish without facing Vollering's aggressive racing tactics.
Chabbey made the most of the opportunity, timing her sprint perfectly on the cobbled Piazza del Campo to emerge from the final metres with her arms aloft. While undoubtedly a meritorious performance on the day, the victory was tinged with the sense that it had been handed to her rather than conquered. Niewiadoma's composed riding to secure second place offered some redemption for the defending champion's absence, but the Polish champion acknowledged post-race that the wrong-turn incident and the absence of Vollering, Kopecky and Ferrand-Prévot had fundamentally changed the race's character.
The result marked a low point for the Strade Bianche organisation, which faced immediate criticism from teams and riders for the motorbike incident. Race officials pledged to conduct a full investigation into the routing error, acknowledging that proper course marshalling should have prevented such a significant organisational failure. For Chabbey, the victory offers momentum heading into the Spring Classics, though she will be well aware that a true validation of her credentials will come against a full field of rivals in future races.