Rien ne peut l'arrêter ! Pourtant bien amoché après une très lourde chute à 50 kms de l'arrivée qui restera comme l'image de cette 19e édition, Tadej Pogacar a fait son show habituel pour remporter pour la troisième fois de sa carrière les Strade Bianche, égalant ainsi au passage le record de Fabian Cancellara. Mais ce succès a eu le mérite d'offrir bien plus de rebondissements et de suspense que l'an passé, lors de son légendaire raid de 81 bornes. Et cela, on le doit avant tout à un homme : Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team), le seul à avoir pu résister à l'accélération attendue du champion du monde dans le Monte Sante Maria, évitant ainsi une nouvelle démonstration en solitaire. S'en est donc suivi un très beau mano à mano entre le Britannique et le Slovène, mais c'est bien ce dernier qui a eu le dernier mot malgré cette violente sortie de route qui n'a au final pas eu d'autre conséquence que de retarder l'inévitable. C'est "seulement" à 18 kms de l'arrivée que Pogacar a fait craquer son rival, finalement repoussé à 1'24" à l'issue des 213 kilomètres de course !
Video : @StradeBianche
« Le vélo, partout & toujours ici » sur
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Video : @StradeBianche
« Le vélo, partout & toujours ici » sur
https://www.cyclismactu.net / Cyclism'Actu
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SportTranscription
00:30I'm going to show you how to do it
00:32I'm going to show you how to do it
01:00Brandon Rivera and Ben Turner who I've spotted in that chase group.
01:03Is it important for you to have won this race before?
01:06Yeah, I mean I love this race and it's one that really...
01:10Yeah, I'm motivated for this race and I love it so...
01:15Yeah, for sure it's one that I really...
01:18It was amazing to win and for sure I want to try and win again.
01:21What do you have to say to the people who think that Pogacar has won even before he starts?
01:27Well, the people, the fans that think that then...
01:31Yeah, what do you want? Are you wishing for a boring race or what?
01:35And for the riders, then they've already lost.
01:57Do you like to repeat what you have done before, like one year ago?
02:21Or do you prefer to invent something different?
02:24Let's see how the race goes, yeah.
02:27Forget about last year, today's a new day and we'll see.
02:32Talking about last year, the feeling of coming to Piazza del Campo with your bike in the air...
02:38Is that one of the best in your memory?
02:40I think yes, I think it's one of the best, yeah.
02:43The atmosphere there is incredible and it would be nice to repeat it but...
02:53We'll see and let's hope for a good race first and then we'll see how it's going to be in the finish.
03:01Are you afraid of something, afraid of someone?
03:04Yeah, for sure, it's a bike race and it's Strade Bianche so it's a lot of situations that can happen
03:11and you need to always be careful.
03:13A lot of riders here are super good and you can have a lot of bad luck as well in the gravel sector
03:19so you need to be ready for everything.
03:21See that again, well this is this lovely moment.
03:23Fancy a bottle mate?
03:24These are good bottles by the way.
03:26They're very, very light.
03:28You know the UE bottles, have you seen them?
03:30I have, yeah.
03:31You can almost crush them with your hands.
03:32We're going to see it, now watch the twitch.
03:34There it is, one, two, oh back wheel, back wheel straight out from underneath him
03:38and he's lucky, very, very lucky to have got away with that.
03:43Swift also gets collected here almost.
03:46Unclips, gets himself back on the road.
03:48Another view for you right now, Matt.
03:50Completely different lines.
03:51Yeah, exactly.
03:52See the way that Pidcock adjusted, he just took a little bit too much pace into that one.
03:57He's had to have another bike change, he's lost all of the momentum into the bottom of that climb.
04:01Now the tables have been turned, this is a racing incident.
04:04As much as we love Taddeo Pogacsi, got that corner wrong, got it wrong, Pidcock got it right.
04:11Tom Pidcock's resting.
04:12He'll ask him if he's okay.
04:14Are you okay?
04:16The best chance of either of these riders winning this race is actually staying together right now.
04:20It was such a long way to go.
04:21They don't want to be riding in the wind when you've got maybe a group of eight, nine closing.
04:25A little bit more, you know, they've got to really think about this.
04:28But Taddeo Pogacsi back in the mix, what drama.
04:32These are their heroes.
04:36What a fabulous, fabulous atmosphere.
04:39Just listen to it.
04:41Tafosi out in force.
04:43Wow.
04:44Look around, it's just accelerating.
04:45Look at it, he's got a gap, a modest one.
04:47Half a bike length off the back of his own.
04:49So a bike and a half and Pidcock responds.
04:52Now this could be the all-in moment.
04:55Well, that's one thing, but stick or twist.
04:58My goodness, the thumbscrews are twisting here and it's Taddeo Pogacsi who's in control.
05:03Oh, look at this.
05:04Tom Pidcock is really being stressed out right now.
05:07This is a statement about what's to come.
05:09Don't forget the flamme rouge as well.
05:11Pidcock trying to go with it.
05:12Pedalling squares momentarily.
05:14And Taddeo Pogacsi, despite the crash, has gone off here.
05:17And he's got a margin.
05:19It's not popped just yet, but it's fizz-bang-wallop.
05:22And away he goes.
05:23He's looking for the crest.
05:2518.5 kilometres from home.
05:28Goodness me, that is a country mile.
05:35Strada Bianche.
05:36We love it, don't we?
05:37We absolutely love this race.
05:38We absolutely adore this race.
05:40And, you know, Taddeo Pogacsi, a lot of...
05:49I find it really difficult when people issue complaints about the way...
05:54Think about all the races that he's won, but winning Strada Bianche in the rainbow jersey
05:59in such relative adversity is something special.
06:02So he's giving it absolutely everything.
06:04There's a smile, maybe with a bit of a grimace in there to round the corner.
06:09This race is his.
06:11He's got a few curves to take.
06:14And my goodness, he's going to enjoy cutting those.
06:18It's been a hell of a dance.
06:20And quite frankly, there's been some high kicks as well into the solar plexus for him.
06:25But ultimately, he's a man who leaves everybody in his wake.
06:29He writes history constantly, it seems.
06:32And it's another page in this amazing annal.
06:35He is busy.
06:37He whacks his finger at adversity.
06:39And he still just has that fire in his belly.
06:43He's thinking about how to celebrate with 150 meters to go.
06:47He's on the brakes, for goodness sake.
06:49He wants everyone to get a picture of him and remember this moment.
06:53And, of course, we will.
06:55He comes into the sunshine.
06:57Where there is light, there is power.
06:59And he's absolutely undiluted in his greatness.
07:04Taddy Pogacar!
07:05Kapow!
07:07That was brilliant!
07:09What an amazing phenomena this man is.
07:14You just cannot stop him.
07:18Fated quite royally.
07:21Absolutely magnificent performance.
07:24Mauro Gianetti greets his rider.
07:27But what a battling performance by Tom Peacock.
07:30A winner a couple of years ago.