Tadej Pogacar took a stunning victory in Saturday’s Strade Bianche race with a powerful solo attack 81 kilometers from the finish line.
release:
2 minutes
Emirati cyclist Pogacar will attempt a Giro d’Italia and Tour de France double for the first time after taking victory in the first race of the 2024 season.
Pogaca finished less than three minutes ahead of his pursuers, breaking Fabian Cancellara’s record lead of 42 seconds set in 2012 to win the race for the second time.
The 25-year-old started his campaign at the end of last season and scored a hat-trick of consecutive wins at Italy’s Lombardy Monument in October.
Pogacar said before the start of the race that he would launch an attack on the Santa Maria Mountains, and he did just that. He broke out of the crowd and rode alone for more than two hours before finally winning on the picturesque hill. A 215km race in the Tuscan countryside.
He bathed in the applause of his fans as he crossed the finish line in Siena’s Piazza del Campo, got off his bike and lifted it into the air to celebrate a resounding victory over formidable rivals, which also included Ineos’ defending champion Tom ·Tom Pidcock, who finished fourth.
Pogacar’s charge was even more impressive than the manner of his first win in Siena two years ago, when he launched an attack from 50km but received no answer from his rivals as this year’s race marks the event’s 17th year. The longest time ever.
The famous white roads around Siena turned brown and wet after a brief spell of rain, causing problems for riders on the gravel roads.
But as Pogacar pulled away, the sun came out again, and his outburst caused confusion among the peloton as no one tried to follow him on the road, and uncoordinated stops to try and close the gap only allowed the Slovenian to increase his speed. lead.
With 40 kilometers to go, Pogacar led by three and a half minutes, a gap that was only slightly closed at the end of another overwhelming performance to add to his already impressive collection.
It’s been a frustrating start to the season for two-time world champion Julian Alaphilippe, who crashed out at the start of the season and was also forced to abandon Het Nieuwsblad last weekend after a serious fall on the final stage.
French Soudal-Quick Step rider Alaphilippe and his teammate Paul Magnier both withdrew from the race but gave no details of their respective conditions.
General manager Patrick Lefevere recently criticized Alaphilippe’s lifestyle, which he described as a party lifestyle and “influenced by his partner Marion Rousse” ”, and Marion Roos is a former racing driver himself.
(AFP)