As Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), he tore his racing bike into the air and was cheered on by the fans in the Piazza del Campo in Siena after 215 kilometres. His 81-kilometre escape was a true demonstration of power and a pointer for the upcoming races. His pursuers crossed the finish line almost three minutes behind. Toms Skujins (Lidl Trek) won the direct duel with Maxim van Gils (Lotto-Dstny) and took second place.
Pogacar in a different league
With 81 kilometres to go, Pogacar broke away behind his team-mate Tim Wellens, who was at the head of the peloton, and attacked on a climb. Only Sepp Kuss reacted seriously to the Slovenian's increase in speed, but the American was unable to parry the attack and had to let go. Pogacar then quickly extended his lead, which quickly grew to three minutes. His pursuers were unable to get any closer, as the pace in the chasing group was repeatedly reduced and they did not really harmonise. Meanwhile, Pogacar showed no weakness, crossing every climb with ease and having no problems on the gravel sectors. In the end, the Slovenian finished more than two and a half minutes ahead of second-placed Skujins.
"The race was fast right from the start. I don't think anyone expected me to start at this point. The weather conditions were difficult on the climb - you couldn't see much. That's when I decided to go on the attack." - Tadej Pogacar in the winner's interview about his attack 81 kilometres before the finish
Strade Bianche 2024 - Results: Top 10
- Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) 5:19:45
- Toms Skujins (Lidl-Trek) +2:44
- Maxim van Gils (Lotto-Dstny) +2:47
- Thomas Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) +3:50
- Matej Mohoric (Bahrain-Victorious) +4:26
- Benoit Cosnefroy (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) +4:39
- Davide Formolo (Movistar) +4:41
- Lenny Martinez (Groupama-FDJ) +4:48
- Filippo Zana (Jayco-AlUla) +4:49
- Christophe Laporte (Visma | Lease a Bike) +5:19
"I knew it was going to be a long escape. But I also knew that I would hold on to my lead until the end." - Tadej Pogacar in the winner's interview
How Strade Bianche 2024 went
Shortly after the start of the race, a seven-man breakaway group formed around Toms Skujins and the German Felix Engelhardt (Team Jayco-AlUla). However, they were not really successful, and by kilometre 15 the peloton was complete again. Things then went better for Mark Donovan (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team), Lawson Craddock (Team Jayco-AlUla), Anders Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility), Nils Brun (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) and Dion Smith (Intermarche-Wanty). The five riders rode a full 75 kilometres in front, but 100 kilometres before the finish they were also caught.
Afterwards, Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek), who was active on the day, tried his luck in the breakaway with and without Magnus Cort Nielsen. The American was caught 81 kilometres from the finish, which another rider took as an opportunity to escape:
Kuss cannot counter Pogacar's attack
Tadej Pogacar left behind the wheel of his team-mate Tim Wellens and started on a slight climb. Only Sepp Kuss (Visma | Lease a Bike) tried to catch the Slovenian's rear wheel, but neither the American nor any other rider was able to keep up with the Slovenian's increased pace.
It was Maxim van Gils who then took up the chase after Pogacar - but he was unable to get close to the Slovenian. He was then caught by his pursuers 68 kilometres from the finish. This meant that there were now 21 riders in pursuit of Tadej Pogacar. Among them were last year's winner Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers), Ben Healy (EF Education EasyPost), Sepp Kuss (Visma | Lease a Bike), Matej Mohoric (Bahrain-Victorious) and the German Lennard Kämna (Bora-Hansgrohe).
After 55 kilometres, the chasing peloton split in two, with Tom Pidcock and several Visma | Lease a Bike riders, among others, finding themselves in the rear group and having to expend energy to bring the peloton back together.
Van Gils and Skujins break away from the chasing group
Once again, it was the active Maxim van Gils who was able to break away from the peloton on a climb 40 kilometres before the finish. Only Toms Skujins was able to catch up with the Belgian with 20 kilometres to go. The two riders harmonised well and quickly pulled away from their pursuers, who were no longer able to respond, by more than a minute and a half.
In the end, the high-flyer Tadej Pogacar finished almost three minutes ahead of Toms Skujins, who was able to pull away from Maxim van Gils shortly before the finish line. Last year's winner Tom Pidcock finished fourth.
