Pogacar dynamites and wins a Strade Bianche in which Paul Seixas shines

Tadej Pogacar has started the 2026 season in the same way he ended the previous one: winning with authority. The Slovenian, a strong favorite from the start, once again blew the Strade Bianche apart in the Monte Sante Marie sector and, according to the planned scenario, finished his solo offensive to raise his arms for the fourth time in the Piazza del Campo in Siena.

Tadej Pogacar conquers the Strade Bianche 2026 with another exhibition and claims his fourth victory in Siena

The key moment of the race appeared very far from the finish. Pogacar selected the group of favorites on the most decisive gravel section and launched his winning move about 78 kilometers from the finish, a distance very similar to his recent great exhibitions in this event. At that point, only Seixas responded immediately, but the Frenchman could not sustain the pace of the world champion for long, who ended up opening a gap and consolidating a lead of around a minute and a half over his pursuers.

At that moment, Seixas had already made it clear that he was not at the Strade Bianche to just hold on, but to race with ambition. He was one of the riders who responded best at the decisive moment and always stayed among the strongest in the chase.

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Pogacar puts his name on a sector of the Strade Bianche

As the race progressed, the chasing group lost members and changed shape, with names like Del Toro, Pidcock, Jorgenson, Grégoire, Vermeersch, and Jan Christen involved in the battle. But Seixas was one of the most proactive. He did not just follow wheels but increased the pace at several moments in the final part and ended up forming, along with Del Toro, the duo that stood out in the fight for second and third positions. Behind them were the other podium contenders, unable to close the gap.

This move added even more value to the Frenchman's race. Seixas pushed insistently in the stretch leading to Siena, while Del Toro stayed on his wheel and the chasing group tried to reorganize a few seconds behind. The young rider from Decathlon-CMA CGM sustained the effort on uncomfortable terrain, with hardly any margin to speculate, and arrived with enough advantage to the final approach to the city. There, on the decisive slopes before entering Siena, he tipped the balance in his favor.

It was on that final climb where Seixas capped off his performance. After having done much of the work in the chase, he still found the strength to change pace and drop Del Toro at the hardest moment. That last acceleration allowed him to secure second place and complete a result of enormous significance in a classic that gives nothing away. It was not a podium inherited or circumstantial: Seixas earned it by attacking, resisting, and accelerating again when the kilometers weighed the most.

Meanwhile, Pogacar secured another of his benchmark victories in this race. The world champion opened the 2026 season in the best possible way, with a long-range attack, a controlled gap for dozens of kilometers, and a triumphant entry into Siena that makes him the great historical dominator of the Strade Bianche. His triumph followed the pattern he had already imposed in other editions, but this time the chase had a clear protagonist in Seixas.

Del Toro's third place also capped off a great day for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, which placed Pogacar at the top of the podium and the Mexican among the top three. However, in the resolution of the battle for second place, it was Seixas who made the difference. His response to the decisive moves, his ability to hold the pace on the gravel, and his final change on the climb to Siena earned him a second place that is worth much more than just a result.

The Strade Bianche 2026 thus leaves a dual reading. On one hand, Pogacar continues to make Siena one of his favorite territories. On the other, Paul Seixas has just taken a very important step in his competitive growth. The Frenchman was able to race among the best throughout the decisive phase, contest the podium against top-level rivals, and finish the job by dropping Del Toro when the finish line was near. In a race like this, that says a lot.

Top 10 – Strade Bianche 2026

1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) – 4:45:15
2. Paul Seixas (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) – at 1:01
3. Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) – at 1:08
4. Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ) – at 2:04
5. Gianni Vermeersch (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) – at 2:04
6. Jan Christen (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) – at 2:07
7. Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) – at 2:14
8. Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike) – at 2:20
9. Andreas Kron (Uno-X Mobility) – at 3:46
10. Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike) – at 3:46