Bruised and bloodied Tadej Pogacar wins Strade Bianche
SIENA, Italy (AP) — Bruised and bloodied, Tadej Pogacar still managed to solo to victory on Saturday.
The defending champion recovered from a heavy crash to become only the second cyclist to win the Strade Bianche three times.
The Slovenian — who also became the first to win the race back-to-back — remarkably had time to sit up on the approach to the line, raise his arms above his head and point both index fingers at the sky as he beamed broadly.
“I enjoyed it until I crossed the finish line, now the adrenaline has worn off, I’m starting to feel a lot of pain,” Pogacar said.
“So not the best way to win a race but a win is a win, and let’s hope it’s nothing worse than it looks and all should be fine.”
Pogacar, who also won in 2022, finished 1 minute, 24 seconds ahead of Britain’s Tom Pidcock and 2:12 ahead of Tim Wellens of Belgium.
This year’s Strade Bianche was one of the toughest yet as for the first time in 19 editions there were more than 80 kilometers (50 miles) of the white, gravel roads that give the race its name. There were 16 gravel sectors, totaling 81.7 kilometers, on the 213-kilometer (132-mile) route through Tuscany.
Although he was heavy favorite before the race, Pogacar’s chances didn’t look so good when he fell with just under 50 kilometers remaining.
The three-time Tour de France champion was at the head of a leading trio going downhill and he slid out on a corner, sending him flying across the road and tumbling head over heels into a ditch.
Pogacar was swiftly back on his bicycle but covered in scrapes on his left leg and arm, with his skinsuit torn up, and about 30 seconds down on Pidcock.
“I went too fast, I guess,” Pogacar said when asked how the crash happened. “I know this road very well, I’ve rode it like already now 20 times for sure in my life, but sometimes you misjudge and I don’t know, I just slipped.
“For a moment, I didn’t know if I was okay, and the bike was not working, so I had to change the bike. I was a bit worried because when you crash, the body takes a lot from you. But I still had enough to finish it off.”
Pogacar managed to quickly pass Connor Swift — who had been the other rider in the trio — and, when the gap fell to 15 seconds, Pidcock opted to wait for Pogacar to continue their duel heading into the final 45 kilometers.
Pogacar attacked on the penultimate sector, with 18 kilometers remaining, and left Pidcock in his — white — dust.
“I came pretty close. I mean Tadej crashed, it’s unfortunate, but let’s be honest it gave me a bit more of an opportunity,” Pidcock said. “But he was still too strong in the last attack of his. I’m happy but at the same time disappointed.
“Of course I waited … He made a mistake and this is not how you take advantage in a race. It was also a long way to go. So I also don’t want to ride that far on my own.”
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AP cycling: https://apnews.com/hub/cycling
