Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) won the men’s 2024 Strade Bianche in devastating fashion after attacking solo with 81 kilometres to go.
Pogačar earned the victory by more than two-and-a-half minutes ahead of Toms Skujiņš (Lidl-Trek) in second and Maxim van Gils (Lotto-Dstny) in third. Although the pair were just behind the two-time Tour de France champion in the placings, in truth they were lightyears behind him on the day.
The Slovenian had told reporters before the start in Siena that he planned to go clear on the 11.5km Monte Sante Marie section of gravel - and that’s exactly what he did. Pogačar’s teammate Tim Wellens set him up with a ferociously high pace on a technical part of the sector before he went clear on a steep pitch.
Pogačar, winning the race for the second time in his career, grew his advantage rapidly and was never to be seen by the chasers again.
After the race was finished, the UAE Team Emirates leader explained his decision to be aggressive from so far out.
“The race was really quite fast from the start. It was already quite selective super early. I don’t think anyone expected that," he said.
“I was feeling really good in the first part of the race and the team did a super great job, but then I could see it’s going to be a super tough race from early to the finish. When it was really raining a lot, I felt good and in my mind was to push and go solo.”
Pogačar was strong enough to attack in one of the toughest sections of the Monte Sante Marie, when the briefly-inclement weather was at its worst. He described the moment he went clear.
“We came to the Monte Sante Marie and it was a hailstorm, it was really tough conditions and there were no more resources left in the group.
“It was only 25 riders, something like this, and Issac [del Toro] and Tim [Wellens] did a super good job to make a super hard race and it was a moment where you couldn’t see anything, it was so muddy. I decided to go on the attack there and I knew it was going be long but I knew if I got the gap I just go through to the end.”
It was the first race of a season, in which Pogačar has high ambitions as he looks to take on both the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France. This goal means a lighter spring race programme and an adjusted winter preparation. He was encouraged by how his legs felt on his debut outing for the year.
“The first race in the season is really tough mentally. You never know if the shape is good or not, but I think this year was really good preparation through the winter. I started a bit later so more preparation work before the first race and it was really worth it.”
How it unfolded
The men signed-on in the Siena Fortezza after the women had started their race, with the sun emerging from the grey clouds and mist to warm the air and dry out the surface of the Tuscan gravel tracks.
Tadej Pogačar line-up on the front of the peloton, while the likes of Julian Alaphilippe rolled up late and were mobbed for selfies from the ever enthusiastic Italian tifosi and many of the 7000 riders who will take part in Sunday’s Strade Bianche Gran Fondo sportive ride.
The peloton dived down from central Siena and headed south into the countryside knowing they faced 215km of racing, 71.2km of gravel tracks and almost 4,000 metres of climbing.
Lots of attacks were, including one with Toms Skujiņš there for Lidl-Trek. However they were chased down after the first short gravel sector in Vidritta.
The second gravel sector in Bagnaia, after 20km, sparked a split in the peloton as more attacks were launched. After the third sector at Radi after 38km, the first real break of the day got away.
Lawson Craddock (Jayco-AlUla), Mark Donovan (Q36.5) and Anders Halland Johannessen (Uno-X) were the first to go on the attack and they were joined by Dion Smith (Intermarché - Wanty) and then Nils Brun (Tudor). After a fast first hour the peloton let them go and the gap opened to 2:30 with 150 km to race. UAE Team Emirates worked on the front of the peloton to keep the five under control.
The two long gravel sectors of Lucignano d'Asso and Pieve a Salti proved fatal for the break. Nils punctured and then Craddock too. The others would soon be caught.In the peloton Julian Alaphilippe and Soudal-Quick Step Paul Magnier crashed. Both quickly abandoned.
With 118km to race, the riders began the five-star San Martino in Grania sector. At 9.5km long and with much of it climbing in the exposed Tuscany hills, it is often a key point in the race.
Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek) and Magnus Cort (Uno-X mobility) tried to anticipate any attacks but they were bright back. Simmons soon tried again as the rain came down and led onto the now famous Monte Sante Marie sector, which lasted 11.5km and kicks up steeply after four kilometres.
Ineos Grenadiers and then UAE Team Emirates chased Simmons and he was soon caught as the peloton lined out.
Pogačar sat on Tim Wellens wheel but it was surely too early to attack like he had done in 2022 and Tom Pidcock did last year. Yet as the road climbed steeply, Pogačar danced on the pedals and surged away alone with 81 km to race. Sepp Kuss initially tried to follow him but soon realised it was an impossible task.
Pogačar was on the attack alone, challenging his rivals and himself. His lead soon opened to 20 seconds, then 40 seconds, a minute and even more. Wellens and Del Toro were in the chase group and so marked any attacks and surges. Maxim Van Gils (Lotto Dstny) was the first to try a solo chase but he was soon pulled back.
Simmons crashed with 74km to race, with Skujiņš riding into him, disrupting lidl-Trek’s hopes. Strade Bianche can suddenly become a cruel race.
With 60km to go, Pogačar’s lead was up to 2:00. He had time to ask his UAE Team Emirates team car to clean his sunglasses. The 20km of asphalt roads helped him time trial away from the rest of the race and he seemed in total control.
Behind Benoit Cosnefroy was one of several riders to try to spark life into the chase but he was soon closed down.
The chase group swelled to include Ben Healy, Christophe Laporte, Sepp Kuss, Krists Neilands, Matej Mohorič, Tom Pidcock, Magnus Sheffield, Lennard Kamna, Filippo Zana, Davide Formolo, Lennart van Eetvelt, Benoit Cosnefroy, Francesco Busatto and Toms Skujiņš but the gap to Pogačar was up to 3:00. Tim Wellens and Isaac del Toro were there for UAE Team Emirates and got a free ride to the final gravel sectors.
As Pogačar started the Colle Pinzuto sector, with 50 km to race, his lead was up to 3:40. On the subsequent Le Tolfe gravel climb, the tifosi went crazy as he arrived and he opened the crowds ahead of him like Moses and the Red Sea.
On the Le Tolfe, Christophe Laporte (Visma-Lease a Bike) attacked as the chasers raced for the podium spots. Van Gils went after him, as behind Healy crashed. The Irish rider had looked strong in the 15-rider chase group. Fortunately he crashed at a slow speed and quickly got up.
But nobody was waiting. Pogačar’s lead reached 4:00 on the asphalt roads with 35 km to race.
Van Gils managed to go clear of the chasers with 35k to go, building a 30-second advantage. Skujiņš, despite his earlier efforts, also attacked away several kilometres later.
The Latvian steadily closed on Van Gils, joining him with 21km to go, the pair held a minute’s advantage over the rest of the chasers.
Skujiņš came home second and Van Gils third. Last year’s winner, Tom Pidcock, escaped the rest of the chasers to take fourth.
Although the effort for Pogačar had clearly been a draining one, he cruised serenely through the final gravel sectors on his way to a brutal destruction of Strade Bianche. He was untouchable in Tuscany and on his season-debut laid down an ominous marker for the months ahead.
Results
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