Pogacar Triumphs at Strade Bianche Despite Heavy Fall

After the adrenaline had subsided, Tadej Pogacar began to feel the pain from his recent fall. Nevertheless, the joy of his impressive victory at the gravel race Strade Bianche overshadowed any discomfort. “It’s not the prettiest way to win. But it’s just flesh,” remarked the world champion, accepting the deep abrasions and bruises for his 92nd career win.

Pogacar’s insatiable hunger for success appears unstoppable, even after a severe crash at a speed of 60 km/h. About 50 kilometers from the finish line, the Slovenian cyclist fell hard onto the asphalt after miscalculating a left turn, flipping over and landing in a bramble bush in the roadside ditch. “It was a moment of panic. I thought about everything, whether I could get up, whether my bike was okay. I was lucky that nothing was broken. It could have ended badly,” the cycling star recounted.

Third Victory After 2022 and 2024

As expected, Pogacar dominated the race once again. After a sharp attack 18.5 kilometers from the finish, the 26-year-old left his British rival Tom Pidcock behind at Colle Pinzuto and triumphed solo after 213 kilometers, 81.7 of which were on the white gravel roads of Tuscany, crossing the finish line at Piazza del Campo in Siena. This victory marks his third win at Strade Bianche, matching the record set by Swiss cyclist Fabian Cancellara in 2022 and 2024.

However, the fall serves as a warning for Pogacar. Two years ago, he suffered a serious crash at the spring classic Liège-Bastogne-Liège, which hindered his preparation for the Tour de France, where he ultimately lost to Danish cyclist Jonas Vingegaard. With the cobbled classic Paris-Roubaix approaching in a few weeks, he might reconsider his participation.

Next Target: Milan-Sanremo

After the spring classic Milan-Sanremo, Pogacar will decide whether to compete in the challenging Paris-Roubaix against former world champion Mathieu van der Poel from the Netherlands. Recently, he completed a training ride in the infamous Arenberg Forest. Pogacar is eager to win this prestigious monument in northern France, which, along with Milan-Sanremo, is a notable addition missing from his impressive list of accomplishments.

Following his rare achievement of winning both the Giro d’Italia and the Tour last year, Pogacar aims to secure victories in the hard and frantic one-day races this spring. In contrast, his rival Vingegaard is opting for a more relaxed approach to prepare for the Tour with smaller tours like Paris-Nice.

Pogacar, however, is not one to focus solely on one highlight. He achieved an outstanding 25 victories last year and is already on the path of cycling legend Eddy Merckx. Is Pogacar a superhuman cyclist? “When he’s dead, they’ll have to dissect him and see,” Pidcock joked. He acknowledged that he was likely in his best form yet still found it challenging to keep up with Pogacar, who won the 2023 Strade Bianche.