Two-time winner of the Tour de France, Pogačar ended last year in October with the first place in the Tour of Lombardy monument, and following five months in Italy, he also started this year’s season. With around 81km to go in the 215km race, the UAE Emirates team leader broke away from the leading pack on the Monte Sante Marie climb and cruised to victory.
“We arrived at Sante Maria and the conditions were really difficult. No one in the group had any strength left. The road was muddy and there was nothing to see, so I decided to attack. I suspected it would be long, but as soon as I got the lead, I knew I would make it to the finish line,” said Pogačar.
Despite the fact that in the final kilometers in Siena he rather enjoyed the ovations of the fans, Pogačar had a significant lead of 2:44 minutes ahead of the Latvian Toms Skujinš at the finish line. Belgian Maxim van Gils was third with a small distance, Thomas Pidcock from Great Britain finished fourth, 3:50 minutes following the winner.
Pogačar won the race with gravel sections, where Zdeněk Štybar celebrated his triumph in 2015, for the second time following 2022. At the age of twenty-five, he already scored his 64th victory in the professional peloton.
Strade Bianche cycling race (WorldTour) – 215 km: 1. Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) 5:19:452. Skujinš (Lot./Lidl-Trek) -2:443. Van Gils (Belg./Lotto Dstny) -2 :474.Pidcock (Brit./Ineos Grenadiers) -3:505.Mohorič (Slovenia/Bahrain-Victorious) -4:266.Cosnefroy (Fr./Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) -4:39
