“We’re not afraid” – Tom Pidcock ready to take the fight to Tadej Pogacar at Strade Bianche

Few races expose the gap between belief and reality as clearly as Strade Bianche. For Tom Pidcock, that tension will again revolve around one name. Tadej Pogacar.

“In all the big races you’re going to encounter him,” Pidcock’s coach Kurt Bogaerts explained in conversation with Wielerflits ahead of the gravel classic in Tuscany.

“So yes, you have to deal with that," Bogaerts adds. "You have to try to be very good yourself and then see how you can battle with him.”

The rivalry already defined last year’s edition of Strade Bianche, where Pogacar eventually rode clear to victory but only after Pidcock had been the last rider capable of staying with him deep into the race.

The 2025 race produced one of the clearest illustrations of how closely matched the two riders can be on Tuscany’s white roads.

Pidcock, racing in his first season with Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, was the rider who animated the decisive phase alongside Pogacar. The pair went clear well before the final kilometres, trading attacks and pressure across the gravel sectors as the race split apart behind them.

When Pogacar crashed heavily on a descent with around 50 kilometres remaining, Pidcock did not press the advantage and waited for the Slovenian to return to the front group. The duel resumed soon afterwards and ultimately exploded on the Colle Pinzuto sector, where Pogacar’s acceleration finally distanced the Brit on the final gravel climb before Siena.

Pidcock still rode to second place, comfortably clear of the rest of the field. It reinforced a growing belief that Strade Bianche is one of the races that suits him best.

“I think there are characteristics in Strade that suit him very well,” Bogaerts said. “Tom is the type of rider who has qualities for many races, but it’s also about what excites you and what you feel strongly about when preparing mentally and physically.”

Pidcock arrives in Tuscany after a disrupted Opening Weekend. The Brit finished 48th at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, the only cobbled classic on his schedule this spring, after suffering from the cold and a series of setbacks during the race.

“We have to be honest that we made a few mistakes there,” Bogaerts admitted. “We should have made better clothing choices. Maybe we underestimated the bad weather a bit. Because of that, he got cold. He was also caught up in a crash and had to change bikes. I think that was simply too much to still make something of the race.”

Despite the disappointing result, Bogaerts pointed to signs that Pidcock’s condition is stronger than the finishing position suggests.

“Because of that bad luck, he was completely out of the race for a result, but from behind the last group, he still managed to ride back towards the front. I honestly don’t understand how he managed that. From that, I can conclude that physically, he rode a strong race.”

Strade Bianche has long occupied a special place in Pidcock’s programme. The British rider already won the race earlier in his career and returned to the podium last season, reinforcing the idea that the gravel climbs and technical descents suit his cyclocross background.

“It is certainly one of the races he gets out of bed for,” Bogaerts said. “But Milano-Sanremo, Amstel Gold Race and Liege-Bastogne-Liege also mean something to him.”

The broader goal for the spring is to carry form through the classics block rather than peaking for a single race. “In the past, I’ve seen that once you find good form, you can take a bit of rest at the right moments and then sharpen that form again,” Bogaerts explained. “It’s definitely possible to be good across that whole period, and he has already shown that in previous years.”

Even if Strade Bianche suits Pidcock perfectly, the central challenge remains the same.

Pogacar’s presence changes the dynamic of any race he enters. Bogaerts is realistic about that reality, but far from resigned. “I think something is possible,” he said. “If we focus on getting a good result, the rest will follow. We shouldn’t complain. It’s good for the sport that Pogacar is interested in such a wide range of races. Honestly, I actually like it.”

Pidcock’s approach will remain the same as it was last year. “Last year Tom made the first move,” Bogaerts added. “Not necessarily to anticipate, but mainly to play to his own strengths. Tom understands his capacities well, and then you wait to see how the competition reacts. That’s what we’ll try again.”

And crucially: “We’re not afraid to take the initiative ourselves.”

For a race built on chaos, gravel and daring attacks, that attitude might be the only way to confront the sport’s most dominant rider.

The roads of Tuscany will soon reveal whether it is enough.