Tadej Pogačar is running out of ways to surprise the peloton and all who watch the world champion's extraordinary exploits, but at the 2025 edition of Strade Bianche, the 26-year-old threw the proverbial spanner bouncing back into his own spokes to unwittingly spice things up on the white roads of Tuscany.
After responding to an earlier attack from Tom Pidcock – almost as far out as Pogačar's record-breaking solo last year – the world champion made his own move which only the Q36.5 leader could follow, the pair gathering up breakaway rider Connor Swift (Ineos Grenadiers). Then with 50 km remaining, Pogačar took a corner too hot and was sent base over apex. Pidcock was briefly solo as Pogačar remounted and entered into a fierce chase that Swift could not match, but with so much racing still to come and the gap falling fast, Pidcock decided his best move was to wait for his rival.
Pogačar's incident allowed doubt to filter in and optimism surely to fill the blood of Pidcock and his supporters, but despite some slightly gingerly taken corners on the sterrati, the reigning champion finally left the Briton behind 18 km from the finish, leaving Pidcock's head drooping towards the dust.
[race_result id=54 stage_id=0 count=10 gc=0 year=2025]
How it happened
- An early breakaway of ten got away without too much difficulty, comprising Johan Price-Pejtersen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Stan Dewulf (Decathlon-AG2R), Lewis Askey (Groupama-FDJ), Connor Swift (Ineos Grenadiers), Simone Petilli (Intermarché-Wanty), Albert Withen Philipsen (Lidl-Trek), Mark Donovan (Q36.5 Pro Cycling), Pepijn Reinderink (Soudal-QuickStep), Anders Foldager (Jayco-AlUla), Fabian Weiss (Tudor Pro Cycling).
- After a bit of drama in the breakaway with the young Danes among them suffering a crash, their number dropped to six by the final 100 km, their gap slashed to just under two minutes.
- UAE Team Emirates-XRG was setting a blistering pace in the bunch, rather like at last season’s edition, with Tom Pidcock glued to Pogačar’s wheel.
- The pace reached a high point on the Monte Sante Marie – the same sector where Pogačar made his move in 2024 – with Isaac Del Toro forcing the fatal split that would launch the race into the final phase.
- As the storied marker of last edition came and went, all awaited the moment of attack. The first to go was, though, Tom Pidcock, but Pogačar was not about to let him get any ground, nor take the attention, quickly responding and taking the lead. Only Pidcock could follow.
Almost three kilometres later than in 2024, Pogačar made a move, responding to Pidcock's own acceleration about 79 km from the finish.
- It seemed to take no time at all for the two most talked-up favourites to work through the last surviving breakaway riders and up to Connor Swift.
Easy peasy.
- The British representative of Ineos Grenadiers was dropped at first, but as the two favourites settled into the last 70 km of the race, Swift was able to regain contact and hold firm for around a half hour longer.
- Pidcock and Pogačar seemed well-matched as the kilometres ticked by, Swift holding fast for now.
- The leading trio made it through a handful more short sterrati without showing any signs of hostility, all the while increasing their advantage to 1:25.
- Then with about 50 km to go, Pogačar led the trio into a paved descent – the only white dust evident at the edges of the road – but took a left-hand bend far too hot, resulting in the world champion sliding across the road and somersaulting into the ditch.
Ouch.
- Only Pidcock came out unscathed in second wheel, with Swift almost following Pogačar into the verge, but managing to stay upright and briefly claim status of second on the road.
- A furious chase followed after Pogačar swapped onto his spare bike, quickly rejoining Swift who finally succumbed to the cumulative fatigue of spending all day in the break followed by a valiant effort alongside the two pre-race favourites.
- Despite the worrying image of his bloodied and torn white skinsuit, Pogačar’s disadvantage to Pidcock fell fast as he chased after his quarry.
- Then up ahead, Pidcock decided to sit up and take a long draw on his bidon with about 45 km to go, opting to wait up for Pogačar, now less than 20 seconds behind him and gaining fast.
- Both could then take a moment, and Pogačar briefly assess his injuries and discard his shredded mitts, before cracking on into the last hour of racing.
Pogačar looks for significant holes, and apparently finds some in his mitts, which presumably did their job in his slide across the tarmac.
- As the race continued, there were a few moments of what looked like nerves for the world champion, especially where there was a gravelled descent or steep corner, but he was just biding his time.
- Then on the second visit to the Colle Pinzuto just inside the last 20 km, all renewed hope for Pidcock was quashed as Pogačar found his infamous extra gear and flew away up the white road.
Pidcock had reason to hope, right up until this exact moment when, understandably, the 25-year-old's head drooped. There would be no second Strade Bianche victory for the Brit in 2025.
- The elastic was very quickly broken and within a few kilometres, Pogačar's gap was already at 40 seconds.
Battered and bruised he might have been, but unbowed, Pogačar held tight to his advantage.
- Almost simultaneously with his team leader, Tim Wellens also went on the attack from the chase group – Swift having been reeled in and easily dispatched – leaving behind Ben Healy, Pello Bilbao and Roger Adrià, and reaching out for a double podium for UAE Team Emirates. It was all the more impressive given Wellens had been off the back for a long time earlier in the race, only regaining contact just before Isaac Del Toro took his blistering turn on the front.
- By the outskirts of Siena, Pogačar's gap was comfortably over a minute to Pidcock, who himself had managed to steady his buffer to a speeding Wellens in third. In the race for the minor places, Ben Healy had bounded away from the Spaniards on the steep and heavily crowded Le Tolfe to ensure fourth.
- But of course, none could come close to Pogačar, who grinned his way up the final climb to the iconic finish where he celebrated a historic third Strade Bianche victory.
Quotes of the day
I enjoyed it until I crossed the finish line. Now the adrenaline has worn off, I'm starting to feel a lot of pain, so it's not the best way to win a race. But a win is a win, and let's hope it's nothing worse than it looks and all should be fine."
Pogačar only began to look uncomfortable once he'd taken a seat for his winner's interview, his heavily scuffed left arm held at a slightly awkward angle.
I went too fast, I guess [where he crashed]. I know this race very well, I've ridden it like 20 times already now in my life, but sometimes you misjudge and I don't know, I just slipped and shit happens.
"For a moment, I didn't know if I was OK, and the bike was not working, so I had to change it. I was a bit worried because when you crash, the body takes a lot from you. But I still had enough to finish it off."
Tom Pidcock himself had some brave words after the finish, conceding he'd lost a good battle to a true champion.
I'm quite tired to be honest. I wanted to try and win, but I think I did a good performance let's be honest. I came pretty close.
"Let's be honest, [Pogačar's crash] gave me a bit more of an opportunity. But he was still too strong with this last attack of his and, yeah, I'm happy, but at the same time disappointed."
Pidcock also commented on his rival's crash and the Brit's apparent decision to sit up and wait for the Slovenian to catch back on.
When he crashed I carried on, I didn't know what was happening. But then he got back on the bike, looked like he was coming back and so, of course I waited. He's a competitor and a world champion so of course you respect that and you wait. He made a mistake and this is not how you take advantage in a race. Of course it was also a long way to go! So I didn't want to ride that far on my own."
Brief analysis
- One of the biggest questions to come out of Strade Bianche is what effect the incident might have on Pogačar's spring, if any. The world champion is not expected to race again until Milan-San Remo on 22 March, which should leave enough time to physically recover and resume training, but the question mark over a possible Paris-Roubaix debut – which was looking more likely in the week – has sharpened. Ultimately, this was a case of rider error, and with Paris-Roubaix one of the more treacherous races on the calendar, is it worth the risk?
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