Alpecin explains Van der Poel's absence from Strade Bianche

The absence of Mathieu van der Poel at the start of Strade Bianche has surprised many fans. The Dutchman recently demonstrated in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad that he is already in good shape, and he also plans to compete in the Tirreno-Adriatico on March 9. However, the Alpecin-Premier Tech rider will not be in Siena this year.

Alpecin explains Van der Poel's absence from Strade Bianche: “The race has changed a lot”

The reason was explained by the team's sports director, Christoph Roodhooft, in statements to the Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad. According to the team manager, both the planning of the calendar and the evolution of the race itself have influenced the decision.

Strade Bianche holds a special memory in the Dutchman's career. In the 2021 edition, he achieved one of the most spectacular victories of his career. That day, he attacked in the last sector of sterrato alongside Julian Alaphilippe and Egan Bernal and sealed the race with a devastating acceleration on the steep Via Santa Caterina before entering solo into the Piazza del Campo.

That was his third major victory in a one-day classic, after the 2019 Amstel Gold Race and the 2020 Tour of Flanders. Van der Poel himself has described the Italian race on several occasions as “one of the most beautiful on the calendar,” which is logical considering his affinity for similar terrains from cyclocross, mountain biking, or gravel, a discipline in which he has also been world champion.

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After that triumph, he only returned to compete in 2023, when he finished in 15th position, 1:46 behind the winner, Tom Pidcock.

Roodhooft explains that the first reason for not racing Strade Bianche is related to the rider's training structure. Van der Poel has just returned from a high-altitude training camp prior to Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, and the team considers it crucial to take advantage of the days between that race and the Tirreno-Adriatico.

According to the sports director, competing in Strade Bianche would mean losing a significant part of that training block. Additionally, the calendar would be too compressed, with barely a day between the Italian classic and the start of the stage race.

With a busy calendar in April, the team has preferred to maintain that training period before the Tirreno-Adriatico.

Beyond the planning, Alpecin believes that the evolution of the race itself also influences the decision. In recent years, the course has become tougher, especially due to the increase in accumulated elevation gain.

According to Roodhooft, the total elevation gain has increased by 20% to 25% compared to the edition that Van der Poel won in 2021. Before 2023, the race rarely exceeded 3,300 meters of elevation gain, but in recent editions, it has approached 3,900 and even reached around 4,200 meters.

Although the distance has been slightly reduced in some editions, the elevation gain remains very high, and this year it is again above 3,500 meters. For the team, this change has altered the type of rider who can aspire to victory.

Roodhooft believes that the current course has moved away from the profile that best suits Van der Poel. “In the past, this race was already at the limit for explosive classic riders. Back then, it was still manageable. Now it has surpassed that limit,” he explains.

Moreover, the level of the rivals also weighs into the equation. The sports director recalls that in 2021, Van der Poel had to beat Egan Bernal to win, but he believes that facing specialists like Tom Pidcock or Tadej Pogacar at the highest level would make the race much more complicated.

Therefore, Alpecin believes that focusing efforts on other events on the calendar is the best option for the Dutchman.