[0:02]Welcome to short highlights of the 20th edition of the men's Strade Bianche. Remarkably, the race that so many people call to be one of the monuments is 20 editions old this year. It's not quite as hard an edition as last year's massive event, but it brings back four former champions to the start line. Tadi Pachar, the three-time champion, Tom Pitcock, Wout van Aert and Julian Alaphilippe. And there was Tadi Pachar in his World champion skinsuit, of course, at the start of the 202 km edition of the race. 4,109 m of elevation across its full distance, of course. Slightly blustery and cool conditions at the start, as we'd had for the earlier women's race, of course. An early breakaway of nine riders formed pretty early on, including Tibor Del Grosso, Martin Marcellusi, Jack Haig, Patrick Conrad, Samuel Zoccarato, and a few others as well, who were happy to try their hands early on. What we were waiting for, though, was to see how UAE Team Emirates and Tadej Pogačar would take things on. Well, this was how it was. It was the Monte Sant Mary again, with 79.3 km as you can see, and Tadej Pogačar, the three-time champion, using that as his opportunity to open up the race as he's done on previous editions. A little hairy moment there for former winner Tom Pidcock, as you could see. Isaac Del Toro, in his Mexican national champion skinsuit, trying to stay in contact with Tadej Pogačar. Paul Seixas, so much spoken of him, the Decathlon SGM man, after already winning two races this year, the 19-year-old. Ben Healy would join the group with Seixas and other favorites in it. But they were chasing one man out front. Tadej Pogačar had disappeared with 78 km to go, on the sector named after him in actual fact, the Monte San Marie. And he continued to extend that lead. The two chasing groups behind would come back together. Lots of fans excited to see Wout van Aert coming back in there too, winner from back in 2020. And we got these wonderful iconic Tuscan shots of Tadej Pogačar ripping across. And the crowd were loving it too. A very familiar sight, of course. 153 his gap. Those who would continue chasing included Tom Pitcock, not giving up. And Isaac Del Toro, trying to follow Paul Seixas too. Ben Healy had done an awful lot, the former Irish champion. He was one of those struggling at the back. And this was the formation of that second group with Del Toro and Seixas, Tom Pidcock, Romain Gregoire in there too. But Tadej Pogačar was in a very familiar time trial by this stage, tops of blonde hair sticking out the back of his helmet. Amongst the chasing, with 17 km to go, Paul Seixas and Isaac Del Toro had separated themselves from the group, and not for the first time either. This is the second of those loops that included the Colle Pinzuto and Le Tolfe, the two defining climbs of the closing stages, which are taken on twice. As they were in the women's race too for Strade Bianche. Tadej Pogačar always holding somewhere between 1:15 and 1 minute and 30 seconds of lead over the chasers. Seixas was trying to drop Isaac Del Toro. Isaac Del Toro, understandably, refusing to work with Seixas, having his teammate Tadej Pogačar up the road. And as a result of that, this group was just closing in. Brilliant ride being done by Matteo Jorgenson in there too. And Gianni Vermeersch, former world gravel champion, of course, as well. They were caught. And Del Toro wanted to see if he could get himself clear of that group to see if they could secure a UAE Team Emirates 1-2. Pogačar looking across at the camera, possibly sensing he might have bitten off more than he can chew. I think the problem is, we all know he can chew this very nicely. And he went under the arch with 1 km to go, as you can see, with a lead of 1:16 over Del Toro and Seixas. And nearly 2 minutes over the Christen, Gregoire and Pidcock group. That was him going under the arch. The crowd already knew what they were expecting to see. And Tadej Pogačar ripping up the Via Santa Catarina, with a smile to the camera on the bend, as we've seen before.
[4:39]What a noise, what a place to be on a Saturday. This Saturday. And this was the point at which he definitely knew he had it. He sits up, hands off the bars, waiting to acclaim the fans here. The Piazza Del Campo belongs to him. Tadej Pogačar, a man who defines an era. Absolutely remarkable. He takes a bow. Yes, and a little stoppy just across the line there to celebrate. I wonder what he'd do differently this time. It is, of course, now his fifth victory. That separates him from Fabian Cancellara, who was the only other man to have won three. No one's ever won them back-to-back, but now Tadej Pogačar has won them back-to-back to back. And it gave us the youngest ever podium in the history of the race with 19-year-old Paul Seixas right there, and Isaac Del Toro just behind him. What an edition for the 20th edition of Strade Bianche. Today, victory number four at Strade Bianche. How do you compare this one with the others? Um, yeah, I know I always say this, but uh, yeah, support to the team, to the teammates today. Everybody did an incredible job. Dom from the start, and Kevin, uh, to control the break and uh, getting us in good position in the sectors. Then Felix started with a great pace and Florian, and uh, yeah, it was just uh, beautiful to see all the guys, uh, in the team performing so well. And then the also the young bullets like uh, Jan and Isaac, uh, what a, what a job from them, and it was uh, was an honor to ride with such a team today. Uh, and uh, to deliver the win, so, yeah, I'm super happy. Take us back to the moment when you didn't allow Paul Seixas to come with you. Was that the key of the race? Yeah, I saw that uh, he's chasing really hard on the the steepest part of the the climb on Santa Maria, but, uh, I uh, I said to myself, I will go all out to the top and then uh, then I will see if he can uh, he can bridge or he will uh, either he will come to my wheel or he will explode, and uh, I mean, explode, he will uh, make a, a gap, and uh, yeah, uh, in the end I saw it's, it's enough, and I knew that Isaac is there and Jan also, so, uh, this helped a lot to to go all on. This is your first race this year. Does it indicate that your 2026 season will be like the previous one, or even better with the next race, Milano Sanremo? We'll see. Uh, we'll see. It's uh, yeah, uh, great start of the season, and, yeah, um, we'll see, uh, today uh, today was the the first day of the year and uh, then uh, we go day by day, uh, race by race, and we see uh, how it goes. Voilà, thank you. Take this uh, second place as the best result you can get. Of course, this is the best result I can get today. Um, Tadej Pogačar was uh, was like uh, every race in 2025, 20 in 2024, it's like one uh, one step or two step ahead the others. But uh, yeah, today is, I'm really happy to be second and uh, it's, it's just insane, uh, to be here. Tell us more about the the moment when you have tried to go with him, he didn't let you go. Yeah, it was uh, it was a bit strange because uh, when he attacked, uh, I tried to follow Pitcock and uh, the tow kind of blocked me. Uh, not once, not twice, but three times. And uh, so I was stuck and uh, it was the game, I did, he did, he choose to play like this. So I have to feel the gap after and uh, of course, when the Tadej Pogačar in the front, it's, it's too much of a gap to to let him 20 or 30 meters. I tried to follow to to get back on the wheel. I was really close, but uh, there was 500 meters too much and uh, I see was managing his effort, he look back and just, they, just don't don't want to to have me in the wheel. How did you win the battle against Del Toro? Yeah, it was really hard after because uh, yeah, after this I was stuck, uh, I was with Isaac Del Toro and he don't want to to to to ride with me. Of course, they started in the front normal, it's normal. And uh, so we are in the big group and uh, we managed to escape in the end, and it was uh, yeah, really hard. I was always food gas, and then I was thinking that uh, he was just passing me in the end and uh, I was just aiming for the podium and to be second to to just finally get him out of the wheel. It was uh, really unbelievable. We know you'll come back for winning. Felicitation. Thank you. Strade Bianche, how good is that? I'm super happy to be in this position. It's always nice to race with the victory actually. And yeah, super proud to be now here and happy that the day is same. Tell us more about the the tactic with uh Tadej at the front and then you trying to make the podium. Yeah, yeah, it was more to have the race controlled like every year. I supposed to be a little bit in the front of Tadej, but he decided to go early, so I tried to manage the group behind. And thankful I I was with the legs to finish the work. Have you been impressed by Paul Seixas, this uh young Frenchman, a rider who is even younger than you? Yeah, yeah, it's really good rider. He showed before like he's with a super high level, and I'm super happy to race against these guys. Siena, it's the place where you took the pink jersey last year at the Giro d'Italia. When will you win the Strade Bianche? Uh, hopefully one day in my career. I just really want to be realistic. I really like this race. And yeah, hopefully in the future I will try it. Gracias. Thank you.
