"There will be a lot of dead bodies in the final" - Tadej Pogacar's thoughts on the eve of Strade Bianche
Cycling
Strade Bianche will take place this Saturday afternoon and with the number 1 is Tadej Pogacar of UAE Team Emirates - XRG, the defending champion. His partner Urska Zigart is having the number 1 bib in the women's race, and both attented the race presentation this Friday afternoon where the World Champion shared his thoughts ahead of a brutal day of racing.
"Nothing lasts. One day I will lose more races than I win. It should indeed be a great race for us. My condition is good, so I am ready. I am really looking forward to riding that great race tomorrow," Pogacar said in the race presentation.
Last year he attacked with over 80 kilometers to go to take a convincing stage win, and many expect a similar outcome this year after what he achieved in 2024. "I don't know. Last year it was quite early. The Strade Bianche is a long and tough race. There will be a lot of dead bodies in the final."
At this point, despite some rivals having great form and this often being a chaotic race, no-one realistically expected the World Champion to be matched. But he does not want to think that way and doesn't put himself in the 'unbeatable' position. "Every race I've done so far has been important. And I've lost a lot of them. Nothing lasts. Not even winning a lot. I know that one day I'll lose more races than I win."
Backing him up will be Isaac del Toro (second at the Clásica Jaén Paraiso Interior) and Tim Wellens who should play a key support role when the action gets heated. The Belgian was also asked on the podium what he will be doing during the race and his answer was quite simple.
"What is my role? To drop Tadej off in the most relaxed position possible on the gravel sections. When everyone starts to get tired, Tadej will attack. I understand that most riders are afraid of Tadej. Everyone knows that he is the best rider and that it is obvious that he will win. But you still have to do it," he concluded.
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1️⃣ Partners in life, partners in crime 💞#StradeBianche @CA_Ita LaPresse pic.twitter.com/JdBGoZk1p3
— Strade Bianche (@StradeBianche) March 7, 2025
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- Podcast sounds great. Two so called experts stating the f*cking obvious.wrsty04-11-2026
- A mindset that reminds me of Tim Declerq. I loved watching that guy just pound away the kilometers, hours at the front, holding an entire breakaway in check on his own. Bjerg seems like a similar guy. Curling, the team sport.RidesHills04-11-2026
- He will be lol, but he can still win on the climbs hahaawp04-11-2026
- I would love to have his inconsistency. How many wins this year? 2 TdF stages, a WC, a Euro championship, San Sebastian, multiple wins early year. Monument podiums. I'd take it. I don't think he has a chance in the TdF, but he is still amazing.mij04-11-2026
- He's not going to win the TdF. Maybe if they make every single stage a TT he could win. But I still believe Tadej would just sharpen his TT skills and win.mij04-11-2026
- You beat me to it. Should he make a full recovery (likely) and go light early in the year. One, two, three. Don't ask me, I don't give a damn. Should he be on a Feel-Like-He's-Fixin'-to-Die High.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- The deciding factor may be the (TBD) number of (any type of) kilometers without Pogacar.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- Unexplained chronic fatigue is an all too common bitch. The hard to find definitive answer may lie buried in gut mechanisms. A mystery of the deep.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- It's weird to say Evenepoel would be making a "serious mistake by adding the 2027 Giro d'Italia to his calendar, warning that such a decision could even be interpreted as a lack of confidence in his ability to win the Tour de France." It may well be a mistake but with so many commentators (of all sorts) continuously claiming almost everything Remco does as being a mistake, almost nobody should care what the pundits and the disparagers should say. His team may not want him to do the Giro, and that matters. But it's possibly or probably up to Remco to decide and it may not have to be decided on until a month or so ahead of the race. Yes , Remco is inconsistent much like the majority of the best riders but he's enjoying a period of not having been recently injured (or sick). Whatever he does he need not be concerned with critics who will second guess any perceived failure no matter what. I suspect he will have enough other races on his schedule so he won't be considering it. But the worst reason to not race it is because of what some will say - humorous that be.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- I'll say clean sweep all grand tourZamorano04-11-2026
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