“If Tadej Pogacar doesn't have a puncture, he wins" - Jeroen Vanbelleghem in no doubt about Strade Bianche prospects

On Saturday the 2nd of March, one of the most exciting one-day races on the calendar takes place in Italy, Strade Bianche. The 2024 edition could possible be even more exciting than normal as it's longer an tougher than ever before.

This is a decision that hasn't been met with wholehearted agreement however. “I really wonder why?” questions Eurosport cycling expert, Jeroen Vanbelleghem. “It has always been a nice race. There is no need to make it harder, but the course will still be longer and we will have longer gravel strips.”

The extra thirty kilometres have done nothing to put the question of who will win the race into any doubt for Vanbelleghem however. If anything the fact it's longer and tougher than ever before may make it even more predictable. “If Pogacar doesn't have a puncture, he wins," Vanbelleghem predicts. "His biggest competition is within his own team. But Tim Wellens has already said that he will ride for Pogacar.”

Elsewhere on the startlist, the likes of Tom Pidcock, Ben Healy, Matej Mohoric, Richard Carapaz and more will provide some competition for Pogacar. Whether they can do enough to pull off a surprise win though remains to be seen.