The British professional cyclist Thomas Pidcock has won the 17th edition of the Strade Bianche.
The 23-year-old from the top team Ineos Grenadiers won the one-day race in Tuscany after 184 kilometers in front of the famous Piazza del Campo in Siena after a solo ride. 63 kilometers of the route led over eleven sectors of white gravel roads. The German drivers around Lennard Kämna (Bora-hansgrohe) had nothing to do with the outcome of the race: Kämna finished 29th, 1:58 minutes behind.
Attack 50 kilometers from the finish
“I have to let it sink in a bit. I just did it. I felt good all week and this morning I knew I could do it. It’s an incredible day for me,” said Pidcock, who is just under 50 kilometers before the finish, at Eurosport.
Pidcock, mountain bike Olympic champion in 2021 and cyclocross world champion in 2022, had recently given up the cyclocross world championship to prepare for the classic season. Pidcock celebrated his greatest career success on the road last year in the Tour de France, when he won the twelfth stage to Alpe d’Huez.
Pidcock on the dirt roads of Tuscany
Vollering narrowly wins the women’s race
Demi Vollering had previously won the women’s race. In Siena, the Dutchwoman put her through in the final sprint just ahead of Lotte Kopecky.