Veni, vidi, vici. Tadej Pogacar's amazing performance from 80 km to the finish line at the Strade Bianche 2024

They say that when something is repeated for more than two years in a row, it can start to be considered a tradition. Well, we could consider that it is already a tradition for Tadej Pogacar to win in the debut race of each season, something he has been doing for the past five years and that this time has resulted in an exhibition without adjectives in the Strade Bianche 2024, where he attacked where he had warned he would without anyone being able to do anything about it.

Tadej Pogacar unrivaled in the Strade Bianche 2024

We are left with a bittersweet feeling after the Strade Bianche 2024, in which many of us were expecting what the extra mileage could bring with the realization of a circuit where the Colle Pinzzuto and Le Tolfe sections are repeated, always decisive. We all like to see the best winning in the best races in the world with a great show, but the announced victory of Pogacar, without any kind of opposition, made the last two hours of the race insipid.

And that's despite the promising prelude after several rainy days and the forecast that the liquid element would also appear throughout the race, which would surely toughen the passage through the sterrato sections.

At the start, as usual, the day's breakaway was allowed to go, a group of just 5 riders with Lawson Craddock as the most relevant man. However, UAE Team Emirates had a very clear plan for this Strade Bianche and a little over 100 km before the finish they were caught, just before the San Martino in Grania section, one of the toughest and longest in the race.

The fast pace of the UAE Team Emirates took its toll, leaving the peloton with about 40 riders. This led to the start of the already mythical Monte Santa Maria section, where Tadej Pogacar had announced in the pre-race statements that he would launch his offensive.

Before that, Quinn Simmons tried to anticipate timidly but fell victim to the devastating pace of UAE, which was more than just hardening, a full-fledged launch led by a resplendent Tim Wellens for the devastating attack of Tadej Pocagar, with 80 kilometers ahead to Siena, to which no one even attempted to respond.

In a few kilometers, he gained more than 30 seconds of advantage over Maxim Van Gils, the only one who dared to chase in a pursuit that was clearly futile, and this gap widened on the descent of Monte Santa Maria to reach two minutes at the end. Unless there was a breakdown or a fall, the race was completely decided.

 

The only interest in the race was now to see who would accompany the Slovenian on the podium from the members of the select chasing group, where the collapse of Visma-Lease a Bike, which only had Laporte left, was noticeable. Vigilance was the norm in this group, causing Pogacar's lead to extend beyond 3 and a half minutes. Meanwhile, only Ben Healy, always combative, tried to make a move, with little success on each climb.

After the first pass through Le Tolfe, the chasing group was further reduced and Maxim Van Gils attacked again, gaining a thirty-second advantage, seeking a privileged position in a race of the level of the Strade Bianche 2024 while being pursued by a string of riders including Toms Skujins, who would eventually catch the Belgian, and Magnus Sheffield, who failed to reach and was caught by the group.

Tom Pidcock also made his move from the group, anticipating the Colle Pinzzuto section. Ahead of him was the tough challenge of neutralizing the gap to Skujins and Van Gils, which had increased to a minute and a half, with just 19 kilometers to go. In fact, after the initial push of his attack, the gap remained stagnant and he couldn't close it, making it increasingly clear that the podium spots would go to the Belgian and the Latvian.

Tadej Pogacar completed his masterful performance by reaching the iconic Piazza del Campo in Siena with a 2-minute and 46-second lead over Van Gils and Skujins, who fought for the second place on the slopes of Santa Caterina, which ultimately went to the Lidl-Trek rider while Pidcock had to settle for fourth place.

Strade Bianche 2024 Classification

1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) 5h19'45"
2. Toms Skujins (Lidl-Trek) 2'46"
3. Maxim Van Gils (Lotto-Dstny) 2'50"
4. Thomas Pidcock (INEOS Grenadiers) 3'50"
5. Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious) 4'25"
6. Benoit Cosnefroy (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) 4'39"
7. Davide Formolo (Movistar Team) 4'41"
8. Lenny Martinez (Groupama-FDJ) 4'48"
9. Filippo Zana (Jayco-AlUla) 4'49"
10. Christophe Laporte (Visma-Lease a Bike) 5'17"