The Monte Paschi Eroica was an immediate success. Launched as a secondary event, it took place the day after the eleventh edition of L'Eroica. The winner was world championship runner-up Alexandr Kolobnev, but the response was extraordinary. The riders were enchanted by the charm of Siena and by those roads that demand respect but offer thrills with every pedal stroke.

Moved to March with the aim of offering it at the start of the season and on Saturdays for television appeal, the Monte Paschi Eroica was immediately consecrated by the greats of the classics. The two-man sprint saw Cancellara prevail over Ballan, winners of Roubaix and Flanders. Completing the podium was Cunego, another big name; Paolo Bettini, in his rainbow jersey, also paid tribute to a young race that immediately became great.

Since 2009, RCS has proposed changing the name, motivating this with the aim of distinguishing between the two Eroica events. The name ‘Strade Bianche’ is being promoted, for the preservation of which L'Eroica was created; the stated reason is to strengthen this message of attention and protection for such a special heritage of the Terre di Siena. In fact, the mother Eroica, her ideas, her world of passionate volunteers, of warm-hearted people and the countryside, are slowly fading into the background.

In the 2015 edition, the ‘Strade Bianche’ returned to being called Eroica Pro, but the brand is clearly strong and cumbersome, and the coexistence did not last. In fact, in the latest edition, in 2016, Strade Bianche took place without the contribution of Eroica, and the start was also in Siena, at the Fortezza, changing once again.