Strade Bianche specialist Van Avermaet dismisses course discussion as nonsense: "Don't rule out Van der Poel and Van Aert"

Greg Van Avermaet is convinced that Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert should also be able to handle Strade Bianche's new format. The Belgian told HLN that the 700 extra meters of altitude and 30 extra kilometers in the final loop make for a tougher course, but classics specialists can still handle it.

Strade Bianche has been a recurring event on the cycling calendar for years. The organization mapped out a challenging course of over 180 kilometers. The decisive points were Monte Sante Marie, Colle Pinzuto, Le Tolfe, and the steep climb to the Piazza del Campo in Siena. However, since 2024, Strade Bianche has an extra 30-kilometer loop, in which Colle Pinzuto and Le Tolfe are tackled again. This brings the total to 213 kilometers.

Check our reconnaissance of the additional final loop in Strade Bianche, read below

Strade Bianche is focused on Pogacar

Analysts in various media argue that the new loop has made Strade Bianche too tricky for many riders still competing in recent years. Think of 2021 winner Van der Poel, 2020 winner Van Aert, and many other Flemish specialists who often competed in the final. Van Avermaet, a Strade Bianche specialist, thinks it's not that bad, and he should know as a frequent participant.

"In the early years, climbers and stage race riders didn't venture there - they preferred Paris-Nice or didn't want to take any risks with Tirreno-Adriatico in mind. But as the Strade Bianche gained in popularity, they wanted to add that race to their list of achievements," Van Avermaet noticed. So, he doesn't think that the fact that there are so many climbers in 2025 is necessarily due to an extra loop. "Until 2019, I could compete at the front, but I always ended up around fifteenth place after that."

Read more below the photo

Van Avermaet in the Strade Bianche

Strade Bianche not too tough; World Championships, on the other hand, too tough for Van der Poel?

Whether 180 or 210 kilometers, Van Avermaet believes the riders can handle the course. "Wout and Mathieu certainly aren't out of their depth yet. Wout is still an excellent climber, and Mathieu can also blast up a hill, as we see every year on the Tour of Flanders. In addition, they are also very technically skilled at handling those gravel sections," said the now-retired Belgian.

Van der Poel and Van Aert are not ordinary riders, although we read elsewhere on Wednesday that Belgian national coach Serge Pauwels has found their limit. He explored the World Championships course in Rwanda and told Het Nieuwsblad that he understood why Van der Poel would skip the World Championships. "After Mount Kigali, there is also the Wall of Kigali. That is a 500-meter climb at eleven percent on cobblestones. That is nice for the spectacle, although a pure climber cannot pull away from a classic cyclist there. But on that Mount Kigali … that is a different story, of course. You have to see that as a grueling climb."  

Read also

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Christian Scaroni is the man of the moment for Astana. Should Pogacar watch out for him in the Strade Bianche?

Preview of Strade Bianche 2025 | Pogacar can show off his skills again, Van Aert, Van der Poel, Evenepoel and Vingegaard are absent

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