“What the f***?” Tom Pidcock stunned and Mathieu van der Poel “scared” after Tadej Pogačar left “dead bodies everywhere” with stunning Strade Bianche attack

As Remco Evenepoel and Primož Roglič gather today in the suburbs to the north-west of France’s capital for the opening stage of Paris-Nice – for what many believe to be the real start to the stage racing season – the professional cycling is still reeling from the shock and awe inflicted upon it yesterday by Tadej Pogačar’s jaw-dropping, long-range attack to win Strade Bianche, a truly historic ride at one of the sport’s modern classics.

One of those rivals especially stunned by the Slovenian superstar’s devastating 81km solo raid over the gravel roads of Tuscany was defending champion Tom Pidcock.

As he crossed the finish line in Siena’s Piazza del Campo in fourth place, almost four minutes down on a rampant yet serene Pogačar – a gap that would surely have been larger if not for the UAE Team Emirates rider’s extended celebrations through the medieval city – a mud and dust-coated Pidcock greeted reporters with a resounding “What the fuck?”

(Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

“Even before Tadej attacked it was full gas. When he attacked it felt like we were in the grupetto, there were just dead bodies everywhere and I waited too long,” the Ineos Grenadiers rider said at the finish.

“It was a case of too little, too late. If I’d played it a bit better I could have been second so I don’t really have any words for that.

“I was good today, but I waited too long. When Tadej went I thought there was no real point in going then, because there was still 80km to go and I did not want to go into the red. People were just going off like it was the old circuit, I waited too long in the end.

“It’s like we were racing like it was still on the old parcours, and it would have been fine, but when you add 40km on then everyone is dying, although I don’t think it would have changed the result.”

Asked if he expected Pogačar to attack solo from so far out, the 24-year-old Brit said: “Well, no. Honestly everyone was looking at each other and we were all just thinking ‘what the hell’?

“It felt like we were in the grupetto. I don’t really know what to say, to be honest.”

> “I’ve never seen something like this”: Is Tadej Pogačar’s “bonkers” 81km solo Strade Bianche victory modern cycling’s greatest ride?

Equally bemused, and possibly frightened, by Pogačar’s arguably era-defining show of strength were Remco Evenepoel and Mathieu van der Poel, two of the Slovenian’s biggest rivals at the classics and grand tours, and both watching from home as the 25-year-old – on his season debut no less – laid down an ominous marker for the rest of 2024.

After journalist Daniel Friebe asked for his opinion on Pogačar’s tactics with 60km to go of yesterday’s race, Evenepoel simply replied: “I enjoy watching it… as a fan.”

Meanwhile, Pogačar’s sometime training partner Van der Poel responded to the Slovenian’s Instagram post celebrating his second career win at the Tuscan classic by jokingly writing: “Mate, I’m getting a bit scared here…”

While Van der Poel and Evenepoel may have been watching at home through their fingers at their rival’s training ride-like dominance of one of the sport’s biggest races, one rider who felt the full force of his Merckxian display was Geraint Thomas, the 2018 Tour de France winner rolling into Siena in lowly 71st, almost 17 minutes behind, after a miserable day on Strade Bianche’s unusually muddy gravel.

(Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

And the Welshman’s response to the misery inflicted upon him yesterday by that devastating, suspense-killing attack? To elevate Pogačar to his much-vaunted ‘another little bastard’ category, an accolade (and hashtag) normally reserved for Evenepoel and his long-range, race-destroying, attacking instincts.

High praise indeed.

As for Pogačar himself, apparently he’s not still sure why exactly he sauntered off with 81km of Strade Bianche left, leaving fans and commentators with two long, long hours to rue the ruins of a race already decided (spirited battle for the podium notwithstanding) and contemplate the supremacy of a cyclist who can just about do anything on a bike.

(Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

“I don’t know why,” the frosted-tipped 25-year-old said in Siena when asked for the reasons behind his earth-shattering, discourse-shaping attack.

“The race was really fast from the start and it was already quite selective super early. I don’t think that anyone expected that. Then we came to the Monte Sante Marie and it was a hailstorm and really tough conditions.

“There were no more resources left in the group with 25 riders and my team made it super hard and there was a moment when you couldn’t see anything, it was so muddy, and I decided to go on the attack there. I knew it was going to be long, but when I had a gap I knew that I had to go until the end.

“At first, I was feeling good, really good, and the team did a super job but I could see it was going to be tough to the finish. When it was really raining a lot I felt good and decided to go solo.”

And that was that. Let’s just hope, for the racing’s sake, that not everything comes as easy to Pogačar in 2024 as his historic, stunning season debut.