Bruised and bloodied Tadej Pogacar overcomes crash to secure Strade Bianche win


Bruised and bloodied Tadej Pogacar overcomes crash to secure Strade Bianche win

Associated Press Saturday 08 March 2025 17:49 GMT Bruised and bloodied, Tadej Pogacar still managed to solo to victory at Strade Bianche as the remarkable Slovenian became only the second cyclist to win the classic three times. The defending champion recovered from a heavy crash to surge free of Tom Pidcock in an against-the-odds triumph in Tuscany. The Slovenian — who also became the first to win the race back-to-back — remarkably had time to sit up on the approach to the line, raise his arms above his head and point both index fingers at the sky as he beamed broadly. Pogacar, who also won in 2022, finished 1min, 24 secs ahead of Britain's Pidcock and 2min, 12secs ahead of Tim Wellens of Belgium. This year's Strade Bianche was one of the toughest yet as for the first time in 19 editions there were more than 80km (50 miles) of the white, gravel roads that give the race its name.