Pogacar Claims Record Fourth Strade Bianche Victory

Tadej Pogacar won Strade Bianche for a record fourth time, attacking with 78km to go and finishing a minute ahead of Paul Seixas. Elise Chabbey claimed the women's race in a close finish. Tom Pidcock finished seventh after mechanical issues.

Pogacar Secures Fourth Strade Bianche Win

Tadej Pogacar has triumphed in four of the last five editions of Strade Bianche.

Four-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar executed a solo victory to claim Strade Bianche for a record fourth time. The reigning world champion launched his decisive attack with 78km remaining in the 204km race and maintained his lead to secure a third consecutive win in the prestigious Italian one-day classic.

Sporting dyed blonde hair for his first race of 2026, the 27-year-old Slovenian secured his opening victory of the season, marking his sixth consecutive year winning the season opener.

Pogacar crossed the finish line exactly one minute ahead of 19-year-old French rider Paul Seixas. Pogacar's UAE Emirates-XRG teammate Isaac del Toro completed the podium in third place.

Earlier in the day, Swiss champion Elise Chabbey won the women's race for the first time after a thrilling finale.

Strade Bianche begins and ends in Siena, featuring uneven gravel sections on Tuscany's iconic white, chalky roads, including the challenging Monte Sante Marie segment.

Pogacar's decisive move occurred on the Monte Sante Marie climb, replicating his strategy from two years prior. When Seixas launched an attack approximately 18km from the finish, only Del Toro followed, opting not to assist the young French rider in chasing down Pogacar.

Jan Christen finished just ahead of Britain's Tom Pidcock, ensuring three UAE riders placed within the top six.

"I'm super happy," Pogacar said. "I was chasing really hard on the steepest part of the climb on Sante Marie.

"But I said to myself, 'I will go all out to the top and then see if [Seixas] can bridge or he will make a gap'. In the end I saw that it's enough, and I knew that Isaac and Jan [were there] also, so this helped a lot."

Women's Race Highlights

In the 133km women's race, seven riders arrived together at the Via Santa Catarina, the final climb leading to the Piazza del Campo finish. The group was soon reduced to four contenders.

Elisa Longo Borghini led most of the ascent but entered the penultimate corner shoulder-to-shoulder with Franziska Koch and Katarzyna Niewiadoma. At that moment, 32-year-old Chabbey surged down the inside to claim victory ahead of Niewiadoma, with Koch finishing third.

Pidcock Reflects on Race

Tom Pidcock, who secured one of his career's biggest wins in the 2023 edition, finished seventh this year. This marked the first time in his six appearances at Strade Bianche that he placed outside the top five.

"I think you can feel the sombreness here, with Visma–Lease a Bike as well," the 26-year-old said. "With UAE like that, there's not much you can do.
"My chain fell off twice on Sante Marie, that really killed my momentum, but I wouldn't have been with Tadej anyway. I don't think it changed the race much, apart from taking a bit more out of me.
"It's so difficult then, when you're in the group behind and you know the race is gone. It was not really that fun, to be honest."

Looking ahead, Pogacar will compete in Milan-San Remo next week, one of only two Monument races he has yet to win.