Strade Bianche: Pogacar follows Kopecky success with 81km solo attack

Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar turned the men’s Strade Bianche into a procession with a dominant victory after a spectacular 81km solo attack in Italy on Saturday.

The UAE Team Emirates rider went ahead on the 11.5km Monte Sante Marie gravel section – which, before the race, he had announced he would do – and never looked back, crossing the line two and a half minutes clear of his nearest pursuers. Toms Skujins was second and Maxim van Gils in third place, but Pogacar became the first man to win the race by more than a minute in the race’s 17-year history.

“We came to Sante Marie and the conditions were really tough. There was no more resources left in the group. It was a moment when it was really muddy and you couldn’t see anything, so I decided to go on the attack,” said Pogacar. “I knew that it’s going to be long but when I had a gap I knew I could go to the end.

“The first race in the season is really tough mentally. You never know if the shape is good or not, but I had 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.”

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The 215km race, one of the jewels of the Classics season, started and finished in Siena and included 15 gravel sections. Last year’s champion, Britain’s Tom Pidcock, finished fourth.

In attritional conditions, the women’s race (137km) proved far more competitive and delivered a dramatic conclusion on the final climb towards the Piazza del Campo. Belgium’s world champion Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) decisively pulled clear of Elisa Longo Borghini on the brutal ascent, coming across the line four seconds in front.

Demi Vollering (third) and Katarzyna Niewiadoma finished 26 seconds down, with Shirin Van Anrooij in fifth. “We were a bit more in control today,” said Kopecky. “We played it really good as a team. I could have attacked Elisa Longo Borghini earlier but I did it at the right moment I think. I didn’t have my best legs today but it’s amazing to win Strade Bianche for the second time, especially with the rainbow jersey.”