Mathieu van der Poel will be in Italy on Saturday afternoon as Strade Bianche plays out on the gravel roads of Tuscany, but he will not be clashing with Tadej Pogačar or using his bike skills on the sterrati sectors of the race.
The 31-year-old Dutchman is arguably the best Classics rider in the world and dominated Omloop Het Nieuwsblad a matter of days ago, so it seems strange and even disappointing that Van der Poel is not riding Strade Bianche. However, we see that the intensity and physiology of modern-day pro cycling limit the number of big-rider clashes during the spring, and the demands of Strade Bianche mean it is out of reach even for Van der Poel.
For similar reasons, Tadej Pogačar will make his season debut at Strade Bianche as he begins his spring campaign but he won’t ride Tirreno-Adriatico and only return to Italy for Milan-San Remo.
Wout van Aert returns to Strade Bianche after a five-year absence instead of spending March at altitude but he needs to race after illness and injury and is unlikely to be a contender on Saturday when Pogačar goes on the attack.
“When Mathieu won, he had to beat Bernal. That’s never easy but if you come up against Pidcock or Pogačar at 100 percent, it would simply be very difficult for him. And so Mathieu would be better off focusing on other races,” Roodhooft explained to Nieuwsblad.
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