"We would like to become a monument" - Strade Bianche organizer directly admits goal of the race

Not a year goes by where, on Strade Bianche week, fans discuss whether the Italian race should be a monument or not. The organizer of the famous 'sterrato' race admits that is a goal, and the reason why the race was made longer this year.

"We would like to become a monument. And so the race must be more than 200 kilometers long.By adding extra kilometers, we want to make the race even more epic. As if it were a race from the past," Mauro Vegni told Sporza this morning. "The race is already tough and we are only at the beginning of the season. The roads are still heavy and dirty."

The traditional 184-kilometer route is maintained this year overall, but an extra loop including the tough sectors of Colle Pinzuto and Le Tolfe was added, giving the race another 31 kilometers in distance, around a third of it off-road. It closes the gap slightly to the current monuments, and gives the race an extra endurance factor.

Vegni, who also heads the Giro d'Italia organization, tells that there isn't a starting fee for Tadej Pogacar, but teams do receive incentives at times: "We never pay for riders. On the other hand, we do pay to the teams. The teams must like to come to the Giro, not the other way around. If the teams bring along an important rider, something can be paid. But never directly to the rider himself."