Anyone present at Piazza del Campo in Siena on Saturday, watching the riders finish one after another, would have mostly seen exhausted figures, shells of their usual selves. Except for one man: the winner Tadej Pogacar, who, donning his UAE-Team Emirates jersey, obliterated everyone in Tuscany, giving him ample time to plan his triumphant entrance into the Italian city square.
The Slovenian launched his attack a staggering 81 kilometers from the finish, swiftly distancing himself from all competitors. In no time, he had accumulated a substantial lead of over two minutes, and from then on, it was merely about maintaining his pace until Siena. Pogacar acknowledged familiar faces along the way ('my old coach from Team Pogi was on the climb in Siena'), occasionally giving thumbs-ups and keeping his legs in motion.
"Why 80 kilometers solo?" the flash interviewer immediately inquired. Pogacar humbly responded, "I don't really know why. The race was fast from the start, leading to some natural selection, which we hadn't anticipated. Approaching Monte Sante Marie, we hit a kind of hailstorm, after which only about 25 of us were left. The team was fantastic, but at that point, we didn't have many riders left. So, I decided to attack. I knew it would be long, but I had a gap and just kept going."
"You have to be crazy to be a cyclist," Pogacar elaborated when asked during the press conference, an hour after the finish. When IDLProCycling.com pointed out that Tim Wellens and Marc Hirschi both said this wasn't the plan, he nodded. "It wasn't the plan, but the race situation called for it. If I hadn't gone there, it would have been difficult to break away solo elsewhere. The climbs after Monte Sante Marie don't suit me as well as this one, so it was a spur-of-the-moment decision. Once I got the gap, I wanted to go for it. Someone could still have caught up, and I had Isaac del Torro and Tim Wellens as teammates in the group behind, in case I ran out of energy."
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Pogacar declares love his love for Italy and Urška
"I wasn't thinking too much," he also said just after crossing the finish line. "At the start of the race, I felt good, and that continued even as it started to rain. It's mentally challenging to start such an initial race, but the preparation went very well. So, I could focus more on this race, but it was all worth it. I think it's one of the most beautiful races there is, so I'm satisfied."
A public declaration of love for the Strade Bianche and Italy, it turns out. "I love Italy very much; I've raced my whole life here. This gives me even more motivation and confidence to go to the Giro. Hopefully, it will be a beautiful Italian year for me; that's what I'm looking forward to," said Pogacar, who enjoyed Saturday so much that he wished his breakaway could have lasted longer. "I've never seen so many people by the roadside as in today's race," he praised the tifosi. "I was riding alone, but I was never alone today. So many fans, so many supporters... It's so different from when you're training alone. It was amazing, I never found it boring, and it was nice to see familiar faces from Slovenia and friends. A beautiful experience."
He is also very open when asked about the role his girlfriend Urška Zigart plays in all this. "She is a huge help to me, more than I can admit. Without her, I wouldn't be able to do what I do; she makes my life easier on the bike. She understands me as a fellow professional, she supports me, and sometimes puts her own goals aside to support me. I try to reciprocate whenever possible. I was thrilled that she was here with me this week. I am grateful for her."
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Pogacar's confidence is restored
Seeing him there, one doesn't perceive much difference from what we have seen in previous years. Yet, there sits a different Pogacar, one who was somewhat trailing behind the facts in 2023, following a crash in Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the consequent rehabilitation and lag. Perhaps that even cost him the Tour de France, but all that is now in the past. "I don't know if this is my most beautiful victory ever. I will certainly never forget it, because every victory has its own story. I'm trying to forget last season's injury. I'm focusing on new things and, after today, have regained all the confidence I might have lost after the crash in Liège. I've had a great winter and got confirmation that everything is fine."
That might be an understatement. Did his impressive solo effort ensure that Strade Bianche will be officially recognized as the sixth Monument by 2025? "I don't know if it's a Monument, maybe in a hundred years. What is a Monument? Strade Bianche is currently one of the most popular races, perhaps even the most beautiful on the calendar. One of the biggest races in the world."
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