Last year his victory came late, with an attack less than 20 kilometers from the finish line, on the very hard penultimate dirt road of the Strade Bianche, that Colle Pinzuto which from this year bears his name and is called ‘Tadej Pogacar Sector’. Almost too late for someone like the Slovenian, used to devouring races, tearing them to shreds, not even leaving crumbs to his opponents. For this reason, on a Saturday with mild weather, he dusted off his ancient perfidy, literally returning to the old saints: as he had already done in 2022 and 2024, he threw down the gauntlet to his opponents on the Monte Sante Marie sector, when there were still about eighty kilometers to go from Piazza del Campo. Goodbye, and best regards.
The only one who risked keeping up with him was Paul Seixas, the 19-year-old from Decathlon who in France is already being pampered as the new ‘Messiah’ of two wheels. He recovered under Pogacar and held his wheels for a few hundred metres. Like Icarus, however, he got too close to the sun and got burned. Even though, unlike the mythological son of Daedalus, he did not sink: with the bravado of his adolescence he continued to lead the ‘human race’, the one for second place.
On his wheel was the Mexican Del Toro, Pogacar’s lieutenant at the UAE, who never gave up on him. But on the final climb of Santa Caterina, a straight stretch with terrifying slopes that cuts through medieval Siena, the young Frenchman took the liberty of shaking it off, finishing second a minute behind the Slovenian – who in the meantime had gone into saving mode, in view of the upcoming spring efforts – and denying the Emirati team a double.
Outside the top five are both Tom Pidcock, second last year and seventh this time, and Wout Van Aert, tenth. Best of the Italians Andrea Vendrame, sixteenth. Pogacar, with the generosity of the strong, thanks his team who “did an incredible job, imposing a great pace. I’m happy to have won, especially for them. Seixas tried to follow me on Monte Sante Marie, it wasn’t easy to distance him. I told myself that I would have to go full throttle and that’s what happened. It’s the best way to start the season”.
Among women, mockery for Longo Borghini
Holding your breath until the end, however, in the women’s race. Both the 2025 winner Demi Vollering and the winner of the last Tour, Pauline Ferrand-Prevot, lose contact: their chasing group at a certain point even takes a wrong turn and says goodbye to hopes of a comeback. So, they play it in front, and on the last pass on Colle Pinzuto, Elisa Longo Borghini opens the throttle. Only the Swiss Elise Chabbey remains behind her, but she makes it clear that she doesn’t want to make any changes: other big names come back from behind.
In Santa Caterina it’s an all against all like we haven’t seen for years. Koch tries, then Niewiadoma comes back together with Longo Borghini, who launches the last attack. The Italian is in the lead at the sprint, but her opponents are with her, her energy is running low and there are still 400 meters to go. The Polish girl overtakes her, then Chabbey comes from behind and overtakes everyone. In the shadow of the Torre del Mangia, the glory belongs to the Swiss, while the Piedmontese in the tricolor jersey achieved a fourth place which smacks of mockery. “But it’s better to try 100% and lose everything than not to try and come second.” he states.