'Not the best way to win a race' - Tadej Pogačar comes back from dramatic crash to claim third Strade Bianche victory

Not even a heavy crash could stop Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates XRG) from winning Strade Bianche on Saturday.

With rips peppered across his white skinsuit, the world champion came back from sliding dramatically into a ditch to win the Italian one-day race for a third time. The fall came with 50km to go, and after leading through the Tuscan hills with 2023 winner Tom Pidcock (Q36.5), Pogačar attacked solo inside 20km from the line.

He arrived in Siena’s Piazza del Campo alone, bloodied and bruised. A sector of gravel will now be named in his honour – the reward for collecting three victories, and a memento by which to remember one of his most gripping victories.

"I enjoyed it until I crossed the finish line," Pogačar said post-race. "Now the adrenaline has worn off and I'm starting to feel a lot of pain. It’s not the best way to win a race, but a win is a win. Let’s hope it’s nothing worse than it looks. All should be fine."

Pogačar's crash came suddenly and unexpectedly, a rare lapse of judgement from the world champion. Asked how it happened, he said: "I went too fast, I guess. I know this road very well, I've ridden it already now 20 times in my life, but sometimes you misjudge. I just slipped. Shit happens.

"For a moment, I didn’t know if I was ok. The bike was not working, so I had to change the bike. I was a bit worried, because when you crash, the body takes a lot from you. But I still had enough to finish it off."

Despite his crash, Pogačar’s victory brought the fastest edition of Strade Bianche on record, with a winning speed of 40.705km/h.

Pidcock finished a valiant second, one minute and 24 seconds down. Pogačar's UAE Team Emirates XRG teammate, Tim Wellens, rounded out the podium.

How it happened

A ten-rider breakaway formed on the first of 16 sterrati - gravel roads – counting among them Brits Lewis Askey (Groupama FDJ), Connor Swift (Ineos Grenadiers) and Mark Donovan (Q36.5).

The sector came within just 15km of the flag drop, on a course that had been made even tougher by the organisers this year, now comprising 81.7km of gravel, with five added stretches.

It was on the Monte Sante Marie, 80km from the line, where Pogačar went solo and won last year. Now dressed in the rainbow jersey, the Slovenian made his move there again, reacting to an acceleration by Pidcock. The pair then picked off the remnants of the early breakaway to lead the race, before Swift fought his way back to join them.

Heading towards Siena, the front three settled into a comfortable, albeit fast, rhythm. Suddenly, with 50km to go, Pogačar slipped on a high-speed descent, crashing hard and sliding into a thorn bush at the side of the road. He reemerged dishevelled, snagging his foot out of the branches.

With tears in his white skinsuit, blood down his left side, and one bibshort leg hoisted up his thigh, the world champion remounted his bike and set out viciously in pursuit. Little did he know, Pidcock had slowed to wait for him up ahead. Swift, who ground to a halt when Pogačar crashed, then dropped away.

Over the ensuing sectors, Pogačar’s confidence appeared to falter. He slowed into corners, and sat back off Pidcock’s wheel, giving the impression the crash had affected him mentally as well as physically.

Inside 20km to go, however, the Slovenian was back to his old antics. Passing back through the corner he crashed on, at the foot of the Colle Pinzuto, he sprung away from Pidcock and skipped solo across the terrain.

The gap immediately stretched out. Ten seconds, 30 seconds, one minute. By the time he arrived to the final climb, the steeply-banked Via Santa Caterina, Pidcock was out of sight behind, and Pogačar waved to the crowds lining the paved road.

He then posted up beyond the finish line and waited for his teammate, Wellens, to celebrate two UAE Team Emirates XRG riders on the podium.

Results

Strade Bianche 2025 (213km)

1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo), UAE Team Emirates XRG, in 5:13:58
2. Tom Pidcock (GBr), Q36.5, +1:24
3. Tim Wellens (Bel), UAE Team Emirates XRG, +2:12
4. Ben Healy (Irl), EF Education-EasyPost, +3:23
5. Pello Bilbao (Esp), Bahrain Victorious, +4:20
6. Magnus Cort (Den), Uno-X, +4:26
7. Gianni Vermeersch (Bel), Alpecin-Deceuninck, +4:29
8. Michael Valgren (Den), EF Education-EasyPost, +4:37
9. Lennert Van Eetvelt (Bel), Lotto, +4:47
10. Roger Adrià (Esp), Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, +5:06