Strade Bianche 2021: Van der Poel outguns Alaphilippe and Bernal

foto: Cor VosA sunny edition of Strade Bianche comes down to a finale with Van der Poel, Alaphilippe and Bernal. The Dutchman drops the two on the steep climb in Siena to take the win. (Slideshow route/profile)

Results Strade Bianche 2021

1. Mathieu van der Poel (nld)
2. Julian Alaphilippe (fra) + 0.05
3. Egan Bernal (col) + 0.20
4. Wout van Aert (bel) + 0.51
5. Tom Pidcock (gbr) + 0.54
6. Michael Gogl (aut) s.t.
7. Tadej Pogacar (slo) s.t.
8. Simon Clarke (aus) + 2.25
9. Jakob Fuglsang (den) s.t.
10. Pello Bilbao (spa) + 2.39

Race report
Philipp Walsleben, Kévin Ledanois and Simone Bevilacqua are the first attackers. The gap remains small, offering Samuele Zoccarato and Simone Petilli the chance to bridge across. Tosh Van der Sande, Samuele Rivi and Filippo Tagliani round out the lead group at sector 4 before the gap widens to more than 4 minutes.

While Bevilacqua, Rivi and Tagliani are dropped Rudy Molard and Loïc Vliegen rejoin the front with 74 kilometres to go, when the lead has fallen to 1 minute.

Vliegen goes solo on sector 7 before Serrano Rodriguez and Gianni Vermeersch track him down. Andreas Kron also bridges across, while Vliegen can’t follow the pace.

The main group rejoins the attackers on the longest sector of the day before Van der Poel, Van Aert, Pogacar, Bernal, Pidcock, Gogl and Simmons distance the others. The new lead group re-enters the tarmac with 40 kilometres remaining. A chase group of nine – Wellens, Fuglsang, Bilbao, Geniets, Vakoc, Vermeersch, Carr, Power, and Clarke – is 25 seconds behind.

Simmons punctures and drops back into the chase group.

Alaphilippe accelerates on sector 9. Pidcock and Van Aert are forced to chase and they rejoin the leaders on the last next sector.

Van der Poel strikes on the climb to El Tolfe, the last unpaved sector. Alaphilippe tracks the Dutchman down, while Bernal bridges across with 10.7 kilometres to go.

The Dutchman goes again on the steep Via Santa Caterina climb into Siena. He distances the other two to enter the Piazza del Campo alone. Alaphilippe finishes in second, Bernal in third, while title defender Van Aert crosses the line in fourth position.

Another interesting read: route Strade Bianche 2021.