Mikel Landa was the highest-ranked Soudal Quick-Step rider in Siena.
The 19th edition of Strade Bianche once again kicked off from Fortezza Medicea, not far from Siena’s stunning medieval city center, took in 16 sterrati and a total of 81.3 kilometers of gravel roads, and finished in the stunning shell-shaped Piazza del Campo, site of the famous Palio races, whose origins dates back to the 15th century.
A sizable breakaway formed soon after the start, and Soudal Quick-Step was represented there by Pepijn Reinderink. The Dutchman – winner of the KOM jerseys last year at the Tour de Luxembourg and the Tour of Guangxi – was one of the strongest riders in the move that ended up carving out a five-minute maximum advantage. As soon as the break hit the hard white road sectors of the race, it began fragmenting, a natural selection taking place on the gradients that spiced up Saturday afternoon.
Reinderink easily made the cut, now part of a newly-formed five-man group which entered the last 100 kilometers of Strade Bianche some two minutes clear of the peloton. When the race exploded on the Monte Sante Marie sector, Reinderink was among the last escapees to be caught, and even after being dropped, he paced his tempo very smartly as the race began taking its toll on more and more riders.
Pepijn concluded the day minutes behind winner Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), but took a lot of confidence from his ride over Tuscany’s gruelling white roads: “It was a crazy and incredibly hard day. The break was strong, but there was nothing to do against the teams chasing us. After they caught us, I was still able to stay with the second chasing group a bit, but around 50 kilometers from the finish it was over for me. I enjoyed the first part of the race, but overall, it was the hardest race of my career. On the other hand, it’s a race I will always remember and an experience which will help me in the future, that I am sure of.”
Mikel Landa concluded this dusty Strade Bianche as the first Soudal Quick-Step rider home. The Basque climber, who got his season underway on Saturday, rode an impressive race despite lacking experience on these tricky roads and despite an untimely puncture with 80 kilometers to go while part of the main group, and finished the Italian World Tour event a strong 11th.
“I knew it was going to be a hard day, but I was lucky enough to avoid the crashes. I missed the experience of managing a tough sector such as the Monte Sante Marie, where I exploded a bit, but then I began feeling better. Unfortunately, I couldn’t close the gap to the first group, and now I am both happy with my result at my debut here, but also a bit disappointed, because I feel I could have been higher on the classification”, Mikel explained after the race.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images
©Wout Beel
