Tadej Pogačar attacked with 81km to go when he won last year's Strade Bianche and with 100km to go when he won the world championships in Zurich. As the hours counted down to this year's Strade Bianche, the Slovenian kept his race tactics a secret but made it clear he is racing to win for a third time on Saturday.
"Let's hope for good legs and we'll go from there…" Pogačar said when he was asked if he would again attack early on the terrible Monte Santa Marie sector.
Pogačar knows that the new 9.3km 'Serravalle' sector of gravel roads has been added after 100km of racing and there are the extended two 30km final loops of the Colle Pinzuti and Le Tolfe climb near the finish in Siena, creating a race distance of 216km and 81.7km of gravel.
On such a demanding course, even Pogačar knows it will be better to wait before risking a solo attack.
"I'll probably not attack so early, it's too long to the finish," he explained.
"Now we have a very long section of the race that is on gravel, almost consecutive gravel sectors. It makes the race more open, more hard and more time for bad luck," he warned.
"Last year the race exploded early, where it usually goes on Santa Marie but now with the longer finish lap, it's difficult to make a hard race before then. Strade Bianche is a tough race, a long race, there's going to be a lot of dead bodies in the final.
"But I'm ready for a nice race. I'm looking forward to it, I'm in good shape, it should be a good race for us."
Pogačar completed a long recon ride of all the key sectors of Tuscan gravel roads on Thursday, with only young teammate Isaac del Toro able to stay with him on the climbs. Even the talented young Mexican will ride for Pogačar on Saturday as UAE Team Emirates-XRG look to create a hard, selective race from the five-sector long block of gravel roads that come between kilometre 71 and 140 of the race route in the stunning Crete Senesi hills south of Siena.
"The gravel sectors are faster and smooth but that doesn't mean they're less dangerous or less hard," Pogačar warned. "We'll fly through the sectors and on the hills."
Alberto Bettiol (XDS Astana) sparked a heated debate after he told Cyclingnews that the peloton should let Pogačar attack alone and then do their own race for second place.
Quinn Simmons said that Lidl-Trek will not give up on a shot at victory and Pogačar agreed.
"If I was another rider, I wouldn't say that. You always need to aim for victory no matter what," Pogačar said, hinting he is human after all.
In truth, Pogačar won 25 times in 2024, and almost half of his 58 race days included sprint stages in Grand Tours. He is only 26 but is closing in on his 100th career victory and set to inherit the G.O.A.T title from Eddy Merckx.
"Nothing is forever," Pogačar said. "Every race I've done so far was important and I've lost a lot of them."
"Winning is not forever and one time I'll lose more races than I win."
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