Strade Bianche: After Tom Dumoulin and Tom Pidcock, Romain Bardet Pulls Out Too | You want a piano 2022

Tour winner Tadej Pojacar may be the man to beat in and around Siena tomorrow. The Slovenian young man is not allowed to look at his papers.

“It’s no secret that I’d like to win here,” he says, unsurprisingly. “But with Kofi, who is at a high level, and Ulisse, we have two other players who can do well here.”

Jumbo-Visma is missing a pawn in the Strade Bianche. Tom Dumoulin drops out of school. On the UAE tour, he was already going to suffer from back pain. Leader Tiesj Benoot is backed by Sepp Kuss and Milan Vader, among others.

Benoot: “The Strade is a special race for me. I had my first professional victory here in 2018 and it has always gone well here. I love Tuscany. I feel good again. I will be starting with a lot of confidence, because the team rides great.”

Greg Van Avermaet (AG2R-Citroën) has already placed second on the Strade Bianche twice (in 2015 and 2017). Do not immediately think of winning. “My best chance came through here,” van Avermaet says.

“There were a lot of classic riders in the beginning, but in recent years a lot of good climbers who are also doing really well have been involved in a day’s work. That doesn’t make it any easier for me.”

“I’m still a 75-77kg rider. You always have to carry that weight with you on those slopes. But that doesn’t change the fact that I still find it a very nice race. That’s why I come back every year to the Strade Bianche.”