Cycling, before Strade Bianche, Fondriest’s comment

Compared to when I was racing, not only the calendar has changed, but also the attitude of the riders. In the first races of the season, such as Laigueglia (but I often started with the Giro di Sicilia), mostly Italian riders met and above all they “worked their leg” for the first important appointments. Now, however, they are all or almost all prepared at their best right from the debut and therefore if you’re not up to it you can’t aspire, I’m not saying to win, but not even to a placement in the top positions. As we saw yesterday in Liguria, then, the big teams are dominant: in the first 15, only riders from World Tour teams. It is no coincidence. But now, from Saturday in the Strade Bianche, the first part of the year is getting underway and in my opinion in Siena there are two champions to follow above all: Mathieu Van der Poel and Julian Alaphilippe.

Crossings

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The Dutchman’s condition is a bit of an unknown given that after the victorious cross-country World Championship on 5 February he has not yet raced on the road: but he is a champion and if he shows up in Siena it means that he believes he can be competitive for victory . As for Alaphilippe, the success he achieved in France last weekend suggests that he is already in good form. Paris-Nice will then start on Sunday: the first real direct clash between Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar after the 2022 Tour de France, given that so far they had only met in the last Lombardia. Who will win? Tadej is the rider who impressed me the most at the start of 2023. In the races in Spain he didn’t just win, he dominated, he gave the impression he could do whatever he wanted. Compared to Strade Bianche, Wout Van Aert will also enter the scene at the Tirreno-Adriatico: I read what Tom Boonen said and I agree with him, the Belgian is a champion but his life won’t change by now, winning a few more crosses , must excel in major appointments. The Tirreno-Adriatico suits him, while the Sanremo… is the only Monument he has conquered so far and he must try to repeat himself. With this generation of riders, it’s hard to think that the Classicissima can end in the sprint: Van Aert, Alaphilippe, Van der Poel, Pogacar… they are fast but their mentality won’t wait for the sprint in Via Roma.

Blues

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Italian chapter: I like Lorenzo Rota and I’d follow him closely at Strade Bianche as well. Alberto Bettiol… I don’t know. Indecipherable. Either it’s very strong or you don’t see it. And then, of course, there’s Filippo Ganna. He didn’t win between January and February, but he came close and was very good. I have seen it well. Everyone knows what he has already been able to do in time trials and on the track, now I expect important results in the classics. Already at Milan-San Remo? It will also depend on how the team runs, but Filippo is “condemned” to arriving alone in Via Roma to win.