Celebrating its 49th edition this year, the Trofeo Alfredo Binda is one of the oldest and most important races on the women’s WorldTour calendar. Named after legendary Italian rider Alfredo Binda, the race is held entirely in the Cittiglio region of Lombardy of Italy. On Sunday March 16, the 152km race, which starts in Luino, will finish with six laps of a challenging circuit in Cittiglio.
The last four editions have been won by riders from Lidl-Trek and the team’s previous iteration Trek-Segafredo. Each victory has come about in different ways reflecting the way the race traditionally suits versatile riders. Last year Elisa Balsamo won the race for a second time in her career, coming out on top of a 25-rider bunch sprint.
What makes the race intriguing and difficult to predict is its undulating parcours - as Balsamo has shown, a versatile sprinter can win but so can a GC-style rider who has enough of a punch, like current Tour de France champion Kasia Niewiadoma who won in 2018 thanks to a 12km solo attack.
Trofeo Alfredo Binda 2025 Route
The 2025 edition of the Trofeo Alfredo Binda is the longest in its history. The riders roll out from the start at the picturesque town of Luino, on the shores of Lago Maggiore, and head west along the lake towards Porto Valtravaglia before they head inland and loop back to the start town. This lap, despite not being entirely flat, is nothing compared to what is to come.
After leaving Luino for the second time, the riders head south and 24km into the race, the peloton face their first climb, the Masciago Primo, which is 6.1km at 4%. After its descent, they arrive in Cittiglio 46km into the race and the start of the 17.5km circuit which they will complete six 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 106km the riders have to navigate these 12 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 km is flat and even rises slightly at the finish.
Contenders
Demi Vollering
As has often been the case over the past two years, Demi Vollering of FDJ-Suez starts as one of if not the main contender to take victory at a WorldTour race. Trofeo Alfredo Binda is no different and having won the recent Strade Bianche, Vollering is the top favourite to take the spoils in Cittiglio. The Dutchwoman has only been at the race once before, coming 17th in 2019 and will be hoping this relative inexperience of the course and its challenges will not hamper her chances of adding another victory to her illustrious palmarès.
Anna van der Breggen
Vollering’s former teammate and coach, Anna van der Breggen of Team SD Worx-Protime, had to settle for second place at Strade Bianche behind the FDJ-Suez leader. The race was Van der Breggen’s first at WorldTour level in three and half years, after she took a break from racing after 2021, becoming a sports director for SD Worx. Like Vollering, despite having one of the most complete palmarès in the peloton, Van der Breggen has never won Trofeo Alfredo Binda - her best result came in 2015 when she was third. She will also be looking to end a dry spell for SD Worx at the race, which they have not won since 2016 when Lizzie Deignan and Megan Guarnier came first and second for the team’s previous iteration Boels-Dolmans Cycling Team.
Elisa Balsamo
Lidl-Trek’s leader, Elisa Balsamo won Trofeo Alfredo Binda in 2022 and 2024 and was second in 2023. The home favourite will be looking to continue this podium streak at the race and she has started 2025 well with two stage wins at the Volta Femenina de la Comunitat Valenciana. Balsamo’s two previous wins at the race in Lombardy came about from bunch sprint victories and the Italian will be hoping that she can withstand any attacks on the climbs from the likes of Vollering and Van der Breggen in order to hang on for another sprint.
Elisa Longo Borghini
Another Italian and a former winner of the race could feature high up on the results. Elisa Longo Borghini of UAE Team ADQ had a disappointing Strade Bianche after falling ill and finishing 55th. However, if she can recover in time for Trofeo Alfredo Binda, she will be a key contender having won the race twice before in 2013 and most recently in 2021. The latter victory started Lidl-Trek’s dominance of the race, which continues to this season. However, if they are to continue the streak they will have to do it without - and despite - Longo Borghini who transferred to UAE Team ADQ over the offseason.
Other contenders
The 41-year-old Spaniard, Mavi García of Liv Alula Jayco may not have the career victories of Vollering, van der Breggen or the other contenders but her recent impressive fifth place finish at Strade Bianche, means that she will be a marked rider and will not be allowed too far out of sight. If Vollering were to struggle or have any issues her FDJ-Suez teammate, Évita Muzic, is a strong back-up having finished in 12th place at Strade Bianche. Tour de France stage winner from 2023, Yara Kastelijn of Fenix-Deceuninck, suits a hard race and could be in the mix on Sunday. Likewise, Italian Marta Cavalli of Team Picnic PostNL will be looking to rediscover her 2022-23 form, which saw her take a number of hilly one-day race victories.
Prediction
It’s hard to look past Demi Vollering for victory at Trofeo Alfredo Binda, particularly with her current form and the course favouring her climbing but also powerful sprint. Anna van der Breggen will undoubtedly provide a challenge, but we think Vollering will prove too strong on the relentlessly undulating parcours.
