Tadej Pogacar picks himself up after crash to rule Strade Bianche again..

Slovenian cyclist Tadej Pogacar secured his third career victory in the men’s Strade Bianche on Saturday, overcoming a fall 50km from the finish. He crossed the line 1 minute 24 seconds ahead of Britain’s Tom Pidcock, with Belgium’s Tim Wellens finishing 48 seconds further back.

With previous wins in 2022 and 2024, the 26-year-old Pogacar now matches Swiss rider Fabian Cancellara’s record of three victories in the race. “It was a tough and fast race with a strong breakaway, but my team did an incredible job,” said Pogacar, who completed the 213km course in 5 hours 13 minutes.

Despite crashing on a descent and sustaining visible injuries, including cuts on his left shoulder, Pogacar recovered and pushed ahead. “I enjoyed the race until the finish, but now that the adrenaline is wearing off, I’m feeling the pain,” he admitted. Pidcock acknowledged Pogacar’s resilience, stating, “When he crashed, I kept going, but when he got back on his bike, I waited. He’s a competitor, and you respect that.”

Pogacar made his decisive move 18.8km from the finish, accelerating on the Colle Pinzuto climb to drop Pidcock. Reflecting on the race, Pidcock said, “I wanted to win, and I think I put in a strong performance. But in the end, Pogacar’s final attack was too powerful.”

In the women’s race, Dutch rider Demi Vollering claimed her second Strade Bianche victory, completing the 136km course in 3 hours 49 minutes. She finished ahead of fellow Dutch cyclist Anna van der Breggen, while France’s Pauline Ferrand-Prévot secured third place, trailing by 1 minute 24 seconds.

“I’m super happy. There was a lot of pressure, but I wanted to deliver for my teammates, family, and friends,” Vollering told TNT Sports. Now racing for FDJ-Suez after moving from SD Worx, she attacked on the final gravel section with 12km to go. Only Van der Breggen managed to keep up initially but faltered on the steep final ascent in Siena.

“It was fun racing against Anna it reminded me of when I was just starting out,” said Vollering. Meanwhile, Ferrand-Prévot, the reigning Olympic mountain bike champion, made a strong return to road cycling, leading an early breakaway before being caught by Vollering’s team but managing to secure a podium finish.