Cyclist
How to win Strade Bianche
Strade Bianche is still relatively in its infancy, the first pro race having taken place as recently as 2007, yet it has already taken its place in the top tier of spring Classics that we look forward to each season. There have already been plenty of memorable editions won by many of the world’s very best riders, but it leaves the question – how exactly do you win the race?
We’ve taken a look back at all the men’s races to see just how they were won and how often that method has had success.
A long breakaway: 11% of the time
The least common way of winning the men’s Strade Bianche is through a lengthy attack, mostly because only one man in the peloton is likely to successfully achieve it. His name is Tadej Pogačar and he’s the only man to date to have won the race through a lengthy breakaway, having gone from almost the 50km mark on his own to take a lone victory in 2022 and then having the sheer audacity to go from even further out in 2024 – spending a whopping 81.1km out in front.
2022 was marked by a bizarre crash on a windy stretch in the fifth gravel sector that took down a chunk of riders including former winners Julian Alaphilippe and Tiesj Benoot, with Pogačar also crashing. The Slovenian remounted, however, and attacked on Monte Sante Marie in an unanswerable display of dominance. And just to rub salt into the wounds, his return to winning ways in 2024 came after he stated his plans to attack on Monte Sante Marie again – which in last year’s race came 80km from the finish – and did exactly that, going on another solo rampage on the white gravel roads. This was also the longest edition of the race so far, riders clocking 215km in the saddle.
Editions won by a long breakaway:
- 2022: Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) – 50km
- 2024: Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) – 81km
A small group sprint: 28%
Whether it’s a head-to-head or a small group sprint, chancing your fast legs is the second-best way to come out on top at Strade Bianche. The first instance came back in 2008 for the second edition of the race formerly known as Monte Paschi Eroica, where Fabian Cancellara beat Alessandro Ballan (Lampre). It would be déjà vu for Ballan in 2011, the now-BMC rider beaten by Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto) for victory out of a four-man group.
This wouldn’t be the only time Cancellara beat someone in a sprint for Strade Bianche honours. In 2016, the Swiss rider’s final season, he would earn his third victory in the race by defeating defending champion Zdeněk Štybar. The pair caught a tenacious Gianluca Brambilla on Via Santa Caterina and despite briefly being outnumbered, Cancellara managed to outsprint Štybar on the short descent to the line in front of a roaring crowd.
A year later, he was awarded for his trio of wins with a stretch of gravel named in his honour. There’s now a permanent milestone on Monte Sante Marie in Asciano with his name etched on. The only men close to matching the feat in the current peloton are Michał Kwiatkowski and Pogačar, both on two victories apiece. Will 2025 be the year either joins the three-win club?
Editions won by a small group sprint:
- 2008: Fabian Cancellara (Team CSC)
- 2010: Maxim Iglinskiy (Astana)
- 2011: Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto)
- 2016: Fabian Cancellara (Trek-Segafredo)
- 2019: Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck Quick-Step)
A late attack: 61%
There are two different styles of successful late attack, either through a surge of power in the final kilometre that carries someone to glory or a more measured, longer-lasting surge such as Tom Pidcock‘s in 2023 or Wout van Aert’s in 2020. Those attacking in the final kilometre typically utilise Via Santa Caterina, a hellish cobbled stretch of road from under the flamme rouge that hits 20% at its steepest – certainly not for the faint-hearted.
Of which 45% come in the final kilometre
In 2009, Thomas Löfkvist was the first man to win after attacking in the final kilometre in the third edition of Strade Bianche having caught and passed another late attacker, Linus Gerdemann, on the punishing climb. Cannondale’s Moreno Moser also became the first Italian to win with a final kilometre attack in 2013, and Kwiatkowski claimed the first of his two titles by jumping clear of Peter Sagan (Cannondale) here the year after.
Who could forget the astonishing display by Mathieu van der Poel in 2021? The Dutchman averaged 1,004 watts with heart rate hitting a max 186bpm on his way to the Piazza del Campo.
Editions won by attack in the final kilometre:
- 2009: Thomas Löfkvist (Team Columbia-High Road)
- 2013: Moreno Moser (Cannondale)
- 2014: Michał Kwiatkowski (Omega Pharma Quick-Step)
- 2015: Zdeněk Štybar (Etixx Quick-Step)
- 2021: Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix)
And the other 55%…
The other kind of late attacks – 55% of them – vary from being 23km in length to 12km. Tom Pidcock is responsible for the longest, jumping away on the Monte Sante Marie sector in the last 50km and shedding the last of the day’s early breakaway in the final 23km to ride to victory. The Brit would win with a 20sec gap ahead of Groupama-FDJ’s Valentin Madouas.
Team CSC’s Alexandr Kolobnev broke away in the final 20km in the inaugural edition to win the then-called Monte Paschi Eroica ahead of teammate Marcus Ljungqvist. Both Kwiatkowski and Wout van Aert were able to ride to success in 2017 and 2020 through launching their attacks on the final gravel sector of Le Tolfe, dispatching their companions to ride away to the win.
Editions won by late attacks not in the final kilometre:
- 2007: Alexandr Kolobnev (Team CSC)
- 2012: Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack-Nissan)
- 2017: Michał Kwiatkowski (Team Sky)
- 2018: Tiesj Benoot (Lotto-Soudal)
- 2020: Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma)
- 2023: Tom Pidock (Ineos Grenadiers)
The verdict
If you want to win the men’s Strade Bianche, your best bet is through a late attack. This lends itself to best being done either on the last gravel sectors of the race like Le Tolfe at 1.1km in length, or by a blistering ascent of the Via Santa Caterina in the last kilometre à la Mathieu van der Poel.
Good luck.
The post How to win Strade Bianche appeared first on Cyclist.