Tom Pidcock is preparing to take on Tadej Pogačar for the Strade Bianche title once again this weekend, and the Briton and his Pinarello-Q36.5 team are leaving nothing to chance in the run-up to the race.
Kurt Bogaerts, team directeur sportif and Pidcock's coach, has revealed that the 2023 winner is doing double recons of this year's Strade Bianche route as he prepares to challenge Pogačar on Saturday.
"We did a first, longer reconnaissance session on Tuesday, just with Tom. To figure out what equipment we want to use, that's the most important thing," Bogaerts told WielerFlits.
"We want to stay on top of the latest developments, and we're leaving nothing to chance. We'll be heading out again with the whole team on Thursday."
Pidcock heads into the Tuscan epic off the back of a disappointing 2026 Classics debut at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, with the cold conditions and a bike change leaving him chasing the race, eventually finishing 48th.
He has been in strong form to start the year, finishing on the podium at the Vuelta a Murcía, the Clásica Jaén, and the Vuelta a Andalucía, also winning a stage at the latter.
Bogaerts said that Pidcock "rode a physically strong race" at Omloop, despite his bad luck.
"He managed to get back into the peloton, even though he had already expended a lot of energy. You can't do that if you're not in top form, I think.
"In the final stage of the Ruta del Sol, he showed he's in good shape. But things haven't really fallen into place this season. Murcia was shortened, even though he was very good, and things didn't go his way in the Clasica Jaén either.
"But mentally, he's probably in a better place than a year ago. He's been pleasantly surprised by his new teammates, and there's less stress surrounding the race schedule. Knowing which wildcards we have for the Grand Tours now makes our planning more relaxed."
So Pidcock is going well heading into Strade Bianche, then.
He's undoubtedly among the podium favourites on a start list which also includes Visma-Lease a Bike pairing Wout van Aert and Matteo Jorgenson, EF Education-First leader Ben Healy, and UAE Team Emirates-XRG duo Pogačar and Isaac del Toro.
Pogačar, with three Strade wins to his name, is the top favourite for a fourth triumph, Bogaerts acknowledges.
"You're going to face him in all the big races, right? So yeah, you have to deal with that," he said.
"You have to try to be really good yourself and then see how you can battle him. I think something is definitely possible. If we aim for a good result, the rest will follow.
"We shouldn't complain. It's only good for the sport that Pogačar is interested in a wide range of races. Honestly, I like that."
Is it possible to beat the world champion? Last year, Pidcock was the only man who stuck with him in the final, at least until Pogačar made his winning move 19km from the finish.
"Last year, Tom went first. Not necessarily with the intention of anticipating, but mainly to play to his own strengths," Bogaerts said.
"Tom has a good sense of his capabilities, and then it's a matter of waiting to see how the opposition reacts. We're going to try to do that again. We're not averse to taking action ourselves, but we might end up in a scenario where we have to follow."
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