A week after a pulsating edition of Strade Bianche, the women’s WorldTour peloton rolls on to its next assignment, another Italian Classic, the Trofeo Alfredo Binda. Sunday’s race is one of the oldest and most important races on the calendar. Its full name Trofeo Alfredo Binda - Comune di Cittiglio comes from the legendary Italian rider Alfredo Binda and its location – it takes place entirely in the Cittiglio region of Lombardy of Italy.
Since the cancelled 2020 race in first Covid lockdown, Lidl-Trek have won Trofeo every year; Elisa Balsamo has three victories (2022, 2024 and 2025) and Shirin van Anrooij (2023) and Elisa Longo Borghini (2021) have taken one apiece. The latter, who also won in 2013, is no longer in the team’s ranks having moved to Team UAE ADQ at the start of 2025, but the rider from Ornavasso, across Lago Maggiore from Trofeo’s start town of Luino, is a favourite to win what would be her third title.
Trofeo’s parcours suit a versatile rider like Longo Borghini, but the same can be said for a number of riders, like the sprinters like Ally Wollaston, Classics riders like Marianne Vos, Lotte Kopecky and Van Anrooij, climbers like Kasia Niewiadoma and breakaway specialists like Magdeleine Vallieres. As ever, it’s set to be an intriguing race.
Trofeo Alfredo Binda 2026 Route
The 2026 Trofeo route has changed since last year, but still offers a similar lumpy terrain. The 153km race starts in Luino and finishes with five laps of a challenging circuit in the town of Cittiglio. From the shores of Lago Maggiore, the riders roll out west towards Porto Valtravaglia before they head inland and loop back to the start town. Then after leaving Luino for the second time, the riders head south to face their first climb, the Bedero Valcuvia, which is 6.4km at 4.8%. Unlike last year, when they entered the final circuit after passing Orino for the first time, this year they will first do an extension via Olginasio, where the first sprint points are up for grabs.
They will then climb back up to Orino before entering the 18km circuit which they will complete five times. The circuit takes in two climbs each lap, starting with challenging Casale, which is only 800m at 6.9% but has peaks at 9% and is followed by the steady 5% for 2.5km up to Orino. For the remaining 90km the riders have to navigate these 10 climbs, as well as their descents, making the Trofeo Alfredo Binda a battle of attrition. After the final summit of Orino, there is 8.5km left to race, mostly downhill but the final kilometre is flat and even rises slightly at the finish.
Contenders
Elisa Longo Borghini
Such is Elisa Longo Borghini’s ability, she starts almost every race as a contender. The UAE Team ADQ rider is looking for a hat-trick of wins at Trofeo. She was just off the podium at Strade before winning Trofeo Oro in Euro a day later. Longo Borghini could win Trofeo in a few different ways, in a reduced bunch kick or in a solo break. She would probably prefer the latter, so don't be surprised if you see the Italian champion's jersey attacking up the Casale and Orino in the closing laps.
Longo Borghini won Sunday's Trofeo Oro (Image: Thomas Maheux/SWpix.com)
Kasia Niewiadoma
The Canyon//Sram zondacrypto leader, Kasia Niewiadoma, has enjoyed a strong start to 2026, with two second-place finishes at Omloop Nieuwsblad and Strade Bianche. The Polish rider is clearly in top form and is another former winner of the race (2018). As was the case at Omloop, the 2024 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift winner, who isn’t known for her race-winning sprint, will have to try and get away from her rivals before the final kilometre.
Read more: The greatest race ever: The stories behind Kasia Niewiadoma's 2024 Tour triumph
Niewiadoma took her her fourth-career second place at Strade last weekend (Image: Thomas Maheux/SWpix.com)
Marianne Vos
As is the case for most races on the calendar, Marianne Vos’s name is on the former winners’ list – in fact, it is there four times on Trofeo’s, a joint record. The Visma-Lease a Bike rider last won the race in 2019, and is therefore the last non Lidl-Trek rider to have claimed the title. The Dutch rider had a solid race at Strade where she was fighting in the front group before the steep ramp up the Via Santa Caterina. Unsurprisingly as a four-time winner of Trofeo, the parcours suit the 38 year old, who first won the race in 2009 at 22. Unlike Niewiadoma she can rely on her finishing sprint, so expect the multiple-time world champion to be playing a cat and mouse in the finale.
Read more: Twenty years at the top: How does Marianne Vos do it?
Vos is one of the greatest of all time (Image: Zac Williams/SWpix.com)
Magdeleine Vallieres
The world champion Magdeleine Vallieres (EF Education-Oatly) has come into her own in the last six months. First there was that storming ride to the rainbow bands in Kigali in September, and then the consistent start to life in the cherished jersey with sixth overall at the Volta Femenina de la Comunitat Valenciana, before an impressive fifth at Strade. She will hope to continue this form on a route that suits her capabilities on Sunday.
Watch Vallieres on stage at Rouleur Live 2025: Triumph against the odds: Magdeleine Vallieres on resilience, breakthroughs and the path to Montréal 2026
Vallieres has enjoyed a strong start to life as the world champion (Image: Zac Williams/SWpix.com)
Other contenders
Sprinter Ally Wollaston (FDJ United-Suez) has impressed so far in 2026 with two stage wins at the Santos Women's Tour Down Under, the Mapei Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race and the New Zealand road race championships.
Wollaston got four early season wins to kick start 2026 (Image: Zac Williams/SWpix.com)
Monica Trinca Colonel (Liv AlUla Jayco) was impressive at Strade Bianche, fighting her way back into contention on the way to Siena. She ultimately finished last from the front group in eighth, but showed her strength over challenging parcours.
A star rider who will be disappointed in the way she has started 2026 is Lotte Kopecky. However, we can never discount the Team SD Worx-Protime rider, who is a double world champion. SD Worx have a wealth of depth in their ranks, including Mischa Bredewold, Blanka Vas, and Anna van der Breggen.
Last year’s third place finisher Cat Ferguson (Movistar) is coming in with strong form, with two wins already this year (Trofeo Llucmajor and stage two of Volta Femenina de la Comunitat Valenciana) and fourth at Omloop Nieuwsblad.
2025 Omloop winner Lotte Claes (Fenix-Premier Tech) is on the startlist for Sunday and could be set to cause another upset.
As a former winner Shirin van Anrooij (Lidl-Trek) will be watched closely. As will Noemi Rüegg (EF Education-Oatly), Niewiadoma’s teammate Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig and Justine Ghekiere (AG Insurance-Soudal Team).
Prediction
We believe Elisa Longo Borghini will take her third career win at Trofeo.
