‘Campionissimo' Pogačar supreme

Eddy Merckx salutes unflappable Slovenian

- Eddy Merckx

In a performance that led even Eddy Merckx to call him one of the greats after the race, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) won the men’s Strade Bianche on Saturday (5 March) in Siena, Italy.

The Slovenian attacked solo with 50km still to ride on the Monte Sante Marie gravel sector, opening a gap on the ensuing descent and building a lead of more than a minute to eventually finish with 37 seconds in hand over Alejandro Valverde (Movistar). Kasper Asgreen (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) came in alone another eight seconds down.

The Slovenian winner called it “a beautiful, incredible victory. I started [my attack] from afar, and I was only sure I’d made it when there were about five kilometres to go. Even on the last climb I checked if anyone was coming behind me.

“I attacked in the Sante Marie sector, a part of the route that is usually crucial for the result of the race: no one followed me, so I decided to continue alone and I am happy to have managed to reach the finish line, also because they never gave up and, with the passing of the kilometres, my energies were decreasing,” he added.