"I don't think anyone expected that" - Incredible Tadej Pogacar takes Strade Bianche 2024 with an all-time great ride
CyclingSunday, 03 March 2024 at 11:35
In one of the best rides in the modern era of cycling, Tadej Pogacar absolutely dominated the field on Saturday afternoon, winning Strade Bianche 2024 by nearly three minutes after 81km solo.
When asked what inspired such a crazy tactic of attacking solo over 80km out from the line in the post-race interview, "I don't why! It was just really fast from the start and already super selective," Pogacar explains. "I don't think anyone expected that and when we got to the Santa Maria it was like a hailstorm, it was really tough conditions so there was no more resources left it the group."
The impressiveness of this ride from Pogacar cannot be overstated. His second time winning Strade Bianche, the Slovenian left no one in any doubt as to who was the strongest in the field. "The team did a really good job to make a super hard race and there was a moment where you couldn't see anything. It was super muddy so I decided go on the attack there," he continues. "I knew it was going to be long but when I had a gap I knew I could go to the end. I was feeling really good in the first part but I could see that it was going to be a really tough race all the way to the finish."
This victory also marks the fourth season running that Pogacar has won his opening race. "The first race is always tough mentally. You never know if the shape is good or not but I think this year I did really good preparation in the winter," he smiles. "It was really worth it."
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These guys shine on their own but when their compatriots are around it's not a straight up fight...
Yes, impressive, but... Van der Poel wasn't there. Nor was Vingegaard. Or Evenepoel. It kinda made for a boring race. Kopecky's victory was far more exciting.
You’re right, not that I think Vingegaard would ever be there, he would send a messenger, WVA ;-)
Jonas and Visma have actually said they did have this race on his calendar when they were planning which races to ride this year, but between training camps, Gran Camino and T-A then he would only have had 2 days at home if he also rode Strade, so he chose to skip it to have more days at home.
Ok, thanks for that.