the slovenian Tadej Pogacar, winner of the last two editions of the Tour de France, flew this Saturday to victory at Strade Bianchethe Italian test that includes gravel roads in Tuscany and has its goal in Siena.
Pogacar (UAE) prevailed after a solo breakaway of more than 50 kilometers. Second was the veteran Spanish runner Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), 37 seconds behind, and third was the Danish Kasper Asgreen (Quick-Step), 46 seconds after a 184-kilometre race.
With a hundred kilometers to go, Pogacar was involved in a massive crash, but was able to continue the race, as was Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe, who staged a spectacular caper.
Pogacar’s attack
Pogacar, not fearing the distance that separated him from the finish line, went on the attack on a long gravel section to secure a margin of around a minute and a half over the peloton, with the Spaniard Carlos Rodríguez between them.
Before the last 20 kilometers he lost thirty seconds to the first chasing group, but Pogacar knew how to manage his advantage, both in the gravel sectors and on asphalt. At 23 years old, the Slovenian star is chaining a new success, a week after winning the UAE Tour, the test in the United Arab Emirates with which he had decided to start his season.
It is his first win at the Strade Bianche, a test in which he participated for the fourth time and in which in 2021 he was seventh. The UAE team has also chained another success, in a great week for this formation, in which the Italian Matteo Trentin won the GP Samyn in Belgium on Tuesday and in which he scored a hat-trick on Wednesday at the Trofeo Laigueglia, an Italian semi-classic in which the Slovenian Jan Polanc won.
At 41 years old, Alejandro Valverde achieved a meritorious second place, a week after having won the O Gran Camiño test in his country, in the region of Galicia. Valverde, who in principle is saying goodbye to Strade Bianche as he plans to retire at the end of the season, had been third in Strade Bianche in 2014 and 2015.
Another Spanish runner who stood out this Saturday was Pello Bilbao (Bahrain), fifth, at one minute and nine seconds, the same time as the Ecuadorian Jhonatan Narváez, sixth classified.
Classifications
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO/UAE), the 184 km in 4:47:49.
2. Alejandro Valverde (ESP/MOV) at 37.
3. Kasper Asgreen (DEN/QST) 46.
4. Attila Valter (HUN/GFJ) 1:07.
5. Pello Bilbao (ESP/BAH) 1:09.
6. Jhonatan Narvaez (ECU/INE) 1:09.
7. Quinn Simmons (USA/TRE) 1:21.
8. Tim Wellens (BEL/LOT) 1:25.
9. Simone Petilli (ITA/INT) 1:35.
10. Sergio Higuita (COL/BOR) 1:53. …
30. Richard Carapaz (ECU/INE) 4:05.
AFP
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