Despite the absence of their last two winners, the “White Routes” attract the big names of the peloton on the gravel roads of Tuscany on Saturday.
© AFP
Roads like no other in Italy.
Like Pogacar, who has not missed an edition since his professional debut in 2019, part of the peloton is fascinated by the Italian race, of recent creation (2007) but already compared to the great classics despite a significantly lower distance (184km). Skillful on the bike, leader of an ultra-efficient UAE team (a hat-trick at the Laigueglia Trophy on Wednesday), the Slovenian is among the favorites given his performance last year (7th). Especially since the two ogres of the classics, the Belgian Wout van Aert and the Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel, are absent.
Winner in 2020, van Aert has chosen to prepare the “monuments” of spring on the roads of Paris-Nice which begins on Sunday. His successor to the winners, van der Poel, author of a demonstration last year in the final wall leading to Piazza del Campo, continues his training phase in Spain and is waiting before resuming competition.
It’s on the #White roads that I for the first time, and last time, saw ???????? Tadej Pogacar (UAD) wince so much.
(???? : Bettini Photo) pic.twitter.com/MXhqHleVfc
– Renaud Breban (@ RenaudB31) March 3, 2022
From then on, all eyes turned to another former winner, Julian Alaphilippe (2019), who was gaining momentum if not at the top. An additional advantage for the Frenchman, he has Danish Kasper Asgreen and Zurich’s Mauro Schmid, winner in the last Giro of the Montalcino stage, who took comparable paths, at his side.
Pogacar announces the color
On the other hand, the reigning cyclo-cross world champion Tom Pidcock, who is suffering from a stomach virus according to his team’s explanations, withdrew on Friday. The Briton was very convincing (5th) last year on gravel roads, sometimes very steep. Eleven sectors for a total of 63 kilometers feature this time on the route where the weather forecast predicts cool but dry weather. The 11th and last is located 12 kilometers from the finish of the medieval Piazza del Campo where other team leaders have already taken the podium.
Originally planned on #White roads this Saturday, Tom Pidcock (Ineos) gives up due to a stomach virus. He was ranked 5th last year. “Not in good shape”, Tom Dumoulin will not be either, leaving Jumbo-Visma at 6. Winner in 2018, Tiesj Benoot will lead the team.
– Le Gruppetto (@LeGruppetto) March 4, 2022
Mainly the Belgian Tiesj Benoot (winner in 2018), the French Romain Bardet (2nd in 2018), the Dane Jakob Fuglsang (2nd in 2019) or the Spanish veteran Alejandro Valverde (41), who will have the opportunity to rub shoulders in the first ranks the promising American Quinn Simmons, 21 years his junior. In any case, the setting appeals to Pogacar, who showed himself to be dominating from his comeback race last week at the UAE Tour: “It’s no secret that the Strades are a race that I really like and that I would like to win.”
In addition to the outsider Schmid, three Swiss will be at the start of one of the most beautiful races of the season. Fabian Lienhard and Sébastien Reichenbach have been called up by the Groupama-FDJ team, while Michael Schär will be there for AG2R-Citroën. In the women’s category, two Swiss will be in the running: Elise Chabbey with her Canyon//SRAM Racing team, as well as Aline Seitz, for one of the very first races of the Lausanne team Roland Cogeas Edelweiss Squad.
© DR
Big smile for the new Swiss women’s World Tour team.
