The 2025 Trofeo Alfredo Binda takes place this Sunday, bringing back one of the most prestigious and historic races in women’s cycling. Usually considered one of the monuments of women’s cycling, the race has been a fixture in the calendar since 1974, making it one of the longest-running one-day races. Held on the rolling roads around Cittiglio, the mix of short climbs, twisting descents, and narrow roads makes it a constant fight for position, with attackers and sprinters both in with a chance of victory.
The 2024 edition saw Elisa Balsamo take her second victory in three years at the race, beating Lotte Kopecky and Puck Pieterse in a reduced bunch sprint. Despite constant attacks on the climbs, a group of around 25 riders reached the finish together, leaving the fastest legs to decide the outcome. That balance between aggressive racing and a late regrouping has become a defining feature of recent editions, keeping both puncheurs and sprinters in the mix right to the final kilometres.
Photo Credit: GettySome of the sport’s biggest names have won here, with Marianne Vos holding the record of four victories, matching the tally of Maria Canins from the 1980s. Elisa Longo Borghini soloed to victory in 2021, while Shirin van Anrooij pulled off a long-range move in 2023 to take her first Women’s WorldTour win. British riders have also had success, with Nicole Cooke, Emma Pooley, and Lizzie Deignan all claiming wins between 2005 and 2016.
With an unpredictable course and a stacked field, the 2025 edition is expected to follow the same pattern as recent years. The repeated climbs will be the launchpad for attacks, but history suggests that the final selection will come late. Whether the decisive move comes on the hills or a reduced sprint decides the winner, the strongest riders will need to be sharp and positioned well at every key moment.
Previous Winners
2024
Elisa Balsamo
2023
Shirin van Anrooij
2022
Elisa Balsamo
2025 Trofeo Alfredo Binda Race Profile
Live TV Coverage
Sunday 16th March 2025
Live on Discovery+/Max/TNT Sports Online across most of Europe
RAI2 in Italy
Live from 13:30-16:15
All times in GMT
Twitter: #TrBinda
Startlist: FirstCycling
2025 Trofeo Alfredo Binda 2025 Contenders
Demi Vollering will be the clear leader for FDJ-Suez, and if she can avoid a sprint, she’ll be the rider to beat. She was 17th here back in 2019, but that was in her Parkhotel Valkenburg days, long before she became one of the strongest climbers in the peloton. She returned to racing in style at Strade Bianche, dropping everyone but Anna van der Breggen before outsprinting her on the Via Santa Caterina. If she’s in that kind of form again, FDJ-Suez will do everything they can to force a decisive selection and avoid bringing Elisa Balsamo and the other fast finishers to the line.
Anna van der Breggen is missing the Trofeo Alfredo Binda from her list of major victories, despite coming close multiple times. She was on the podium in 2015 and has five top-10 finishes, but she hasn’t raced here since 2017. Based on what we’ve seen so far in 2025, she’ll likely be keeping a close eye on Demi Vollering, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if it ends up as another head-to-head between the two of them. Blanka Vas gives SD Worx another option, especially if the race stays together for a sprint. Her 2025 road season didn’t start well with a DNF at Strade Bianche, but on paper, this should be a race that suits her. She’s never raced Trofeo Alfredo Binda before, but if she’s in shape, she could be a strong finisher from a reduced group.
UAE Team ADQ has plenty of cards to play. Elisa Longo Borghini is a two-time winner of this race, taking her first victory in 2013 before winning solo in 2021. However, she had a rough return from altitude training at Strade Bianche, finishing 55th and looking far from her best. That was a stark contrast to her dominant UAE Tour Women victory in February. If she has dialled things back in, she will be a major contender, but there’s a big question mark over her form. If it comes down to a sprint, the team will have to decide between Silvia Persico, Karlijn Swinkels, and Eleonora Gasparrini. All three could be in the front group, but Gasparrini is the fastest on paper, even if the climbs might be slightly too tough for her against the pure climbers. Swinkels comes in with great form after winning Trofeo Oro in Euro last weekend, while Persico finished eighth in the group behind her. Gasparrini was sixth at Omloop het Nieuwsblad, showing she has early-season speed, but the climbs here might be a touch too long for her to be UAE’s best bet. If it’s not Longo Borghini attacking, it’s more likely to be Swinkels or Persico leading the team’s charge.
Elisa Balsamo comes into this race as the clear favourite, having already won here in 2022 and 2024, with a second-place finish in 2023 behind her teammate Shirin van Anrooij. Her 2025 form kicked in at Setmana Ciclista Valenciana, where she took a pair of stage wins, proving she’s ready to add a third Trofeo Alfredo Binda title to her name. Niamh Fisher-Black gives Lidl-Trek another strong option, particularly if the climbers can force a selection. She finished 10th here last year, often finding herself on domestique duty, but she’ll be the team’s best chance to stay with Demi Vollering and any other riders who attack on the climbs. Eighth at Strade Bianche last week suggests she’s in good shape, and if she gets the freedom to race for herself, she could be a key player.
Puck Pieterse will lead Fenix-Deceuninck once again after finishing on the podium here in 2024. Her early-season form is looking strong, as she proved at the Trofeo Oro in Euro when she broke clear with two UAE Team ADQ riders and finished second. She’s got the climbing legs to follow the key moves, and if the race plays out like last year, she’ll be right in the mix. Yara Kastelijn is also worth watching after an impressive sixth at Strade Bianche, which she backed up with 14th at Trofeo Oro in Euro. She’s been just outside the top-10 at Trofeo Alfredo Binda in the past, finishing 11th last year and 14th in 2023, but with her current form, she might be able to break into that group this time.
Marianne Vos returns to racing at Trofeo Alfredo Binda, where she has won four times, most recently in 2019. She was also second in 2021, and her history in this race speaks for itself. There’s no early-season form to go off yet, so her performance will depend on whether the climbing teams force an aggressive race or whether the peloton can keep things together for a sprint. If it’s the latter, she’ll be a strong challenger against Elisa Balsamo at the finish. Pauline Ferrand-Prevot adds even more experience, having finished second here in 2015 and securing five top-10 finishes in the past. She looked strong at Strade Bianche last weekend, finishing third, and these shorter climbs should suit her better than the long efforts at Jebel Hafeet. She could be used to monitor moves from the big names looking to split the race.
Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig and Soraya Paladin will be the key riders for Canyon SRAM. Uttrup Ludwig has finished third at Trofeo Alfredo Binda three times and has been in the top 10 for five straight editions. The only surprise is that she hasn’t raced here since 2022. She’s had a quiet start to life with her new team this season, so while she can’t be counted out, she’s not among the top favourites. Soraya Paladin is the team’s best option if it comes to a sprint. She has an incredible five consecutive top-10 finishes at this race, including third, fourth, and fifth in the last three years. She also holds the unwanted record of being the rider with the most Women’s WorldTour podiums without a WWT win, and with Elisa Balsamo here, that stat may not change just yet. A podium is very much in reach again, though. Neve Bradbury could be an interesting name to throw in, but with this being her first race since the Australian summer and a likely sprint finish, it may not be the best race for her strengths.
Mavi Garcia will be aggressive, as always, for Liv AlUla Jayco, but she’ll need a selective race to secure a strong result. She was sixth here in 2021 and tenth in 2023, but her constant attacking doesn’t always translate into a top finish when the race comes back together. Fifth at Strade Bianche proves she has the form, and she’ll be one of the riders trying to force a split on the climbs. If the race stays together, Caroline Andersson and Silke Smulders could be options for a sprint. Neither has a standout result at Trofeo Alfredo Binda in the past, but both are showing good form in 2025. Andersson was 4th at Clasica de Almeria and 11th at Trofeo Oro in Euro, while Smulders backed up tenth at Strade Bianche with fifth in the Cadel Evans Road Race earlier in the year.
Olivia Baril finished seventh here last year and has looked in solid form again this season. She was fifth at GP Oetingen this week, finishing well in a small group sprint after a selective race. That suggests she could be in the mix for another top-10 finish at Trofeo Alfredo Binda. Cat Ferguson is another Movistar rider worth keeping an eye on, as she makes her 2025 road debut. She impressed at the end of last season when she stepped up to the pro ranks, and if she comes out flying again, she could surprise a few riders here.
Pfeiffer Georgi was fifth in last year’s Trofeo Alfredo Binda and is already showing strong form in 2025, with seventh at Omloop het Nieuwsblad a couple of weeks ago. She has the strength to make a decisive move and the finishing speed to capitalise, but the key question is whether she can hang with a potential attack from Demi Vollering. If she’s there at the end, she has a real shot at a strong result. Eleonora Ciabocco will be a key support rider, and she has shown solid early-season form, with 12th in the general classification at Setmana Ciclista Valenciana after a pair of top-10 stage finishes.
Kim le Court continues to prove that her strong early-season results were no fluke. After finishing third in GC at the UAE Tour Women, she followed it up with 14th at Strade Bianche, showing she can handle both climbing and fast finishes. The big question is whether she can make the decisive move when the race kicks off on the climbs. If she’s caught in the group sprint, she might struggle to match the fastest finishers, but her form suggests she could be a factor. Justine Ghekiere was eighth here in 2023 but slipped to 30th last year when a larger group contested the finish. She’s been dealing with illness in recent weeks, which has disrupted her race schedule, so her ability to compete at her best is uncertain. If she’s fully recovered, she has the race knowledge to be a useful card to play.
Thalita de Jong has the potential to be a real threat for Human Powered Health, but there’s a question mark over how well she’s recovered after being caught up in the crashes at Strade Bianche last weekend. Her previous results here don’t give much to go on, with races in 2012, 2016, and 2017 yielding a best finish of 59th. At her best, she has the strength to survive the climbs and the finishing speed to claim a strong result, but she’ll need to be fully fit to show it.
Noemi Rüegg could be one of the best dark-horse picks of the race. She’s only ridden Trofeo Alfredo Binda once before, back in 2022, but she returns now as a much-improved rider and a Women’s WorldTour race winner after her victory at the Tour Down Under. She backed up that early-season success with ninth at Strade Bianche last weekend, a result that bodes well for a race that suits punchy climbers with a strong sprint. If she gets everything right, she could fight for the podium. Cedrine Kerbaol might be used as an attacking option for Rüegg. Her third place at Trofeo Binissalem-Andratx has been her best result of 2025 so far, but she hasn’t had a standout ride at Trofeo Alfredo Binda in the past. She will likely need to anticipate the final moves rather than wait for the sprint.
2025 Trofeo Alfredo Binda 2025 Outsiders
Laboral Kutxa-Fundacion Euskadi doesn’t have an outright leader, but they do have multiple riders who could play a role. Ane Santesteban has always been solid here, regularly finishing in the mid-teens but never breaking into the top-10. She looks close to her best again after a tough 2024 season, and seventh in GC at the Vuelta Extremadura suggests her climbing is back where it needs to be. The issue will be whether she has the speed to compete at the finish. Usoa Ostolaza has been getting more attention this season, and an 11th-place finish at the Vuelta Extremadura suggests she could step up again here. She DNFed in her only attempt at this race last year, but she has a decent sprint from a reduced group if she can stay in touch. Arianna Fidanza is their best option in a sprint, and she showed her form last weekend by taking ninth at Trofeo Oro in Euro after also finishing sixth at Clasica de Almeria. The challenge for her will be surviving the climbs when the top WorldTour teams increase the pace.
Sarah van Dam could be an outsider for Ceratizit-WNT, depending on how she handles the climbing sections. She was impressive in Australia, finishing 11th in GC at the Tour Down Under and taking fourth and fifth on the sprint stages. However, a crash with a driver in Australia has kept her out of racing since then. If she can bring that early-season form into this race, she might be a surprise name in the final.
Cofidis lacks a clear leader for this race, but Julie Bego and Nikola Noskova could be active in attacking moves. Noskova finished 17th here last season, but her form this year hasn’t suggested she’s on track to match that result just yet. She’s been aggressive in races, though, so she’s unlikely to just sit in the bunch. The same applies to Bego, who has also been heavily involved in breakaway attempts but is still searching for a big result in 2025.
Top 3 Prediction
⦿ Demi Vollering
⦿ Anna van der Breggen
⦿ Elisa Balsamo
