cycling: 11. Strade Bianche: Kwiatkowski celebrates second success on the white streets

Cycling: Michal Kwiatkowski (Sky) has just won the rainy Italian Strade Bianche one-day race. In an aggressively driven, spectacular race, he prevailed as a soloist ahead of Van Avermaet and Wellens. Top favorite Peter Sagan (Bora-hansgrohe) gave up because of a fever.

The hunt on the white roads of Tuscany

The Italian Strade Bianche (formerly Monte Paschi Eroica) one-day race is popular with drivers and fans alike. In no other road bike race do so many gravel road sections have to be completed. Eleven in number were waiting for the drivers this year. The eighth passage was dedicated to last year's winner Fabian Cancellara. The Monte Sante Marie section in Asciano now includes a gemstone with the name of the Swiss. The UCI also reacted to the popularity of the race and finally upgraded it from the 1st HC category to the WorldTour. Accordingly, all 18 professional teams were at the start. Together with the Italian second division team Bardiani-CSF, Androni-Giocattoli and Nippo-Vini Fantini, they started the 175-kilometer race in Siena. The route was changed only slightly compared to the previous year. Around ten kilometers more gravel road passages were added, so that the drivers now had to cross 61,9 kilometers of gravel. A hard test for professional and material.

Pinot breaks away - Brambilla & Sagan resign

The weather is always a decisive factor in this type of race. Because the dusty white streets can become a slippery and very uncomfortable surface in no time due to rain. While the start was still in good weather, a few kilometers later it started to rain. At the same time, a first breakaway group broke loose: Quentin Jauregui (AG2R), Mattia Frapporti (Androni-Giocattoli), Truls Engen Korsaeth (Astana), Simone Andreetta (Bardiani-CSF), José Goncalves (Katusha-Alpecin) and none other than Thibaut Pinot ( FDJ) fled the dust. The sextet was able to extend their lead to more than seven minutes, but when things got really hot in the field, the minutes quickly dwindled. The peloton meanwhile fell into several parts. Last year's third, Gianluca Brambilla (Quick-Step Floors) fell and had to retire. A bitter loss for the Belgian team, which was able to place three drivers in the top 5 last year. Top favorite Peter Sagan (Bora-hansgrohe) was also unable to finish the race. The world champion was plagued by fever.

Team Lotto Soudal is flexing its muscles

The wet and windy weather made the already spectacular race even more chaotic. With 53 kilometers to go, the riders tackled the challenging eighth sector, dedicated to Fabian Cancellara. Following an attack initiated by Tiesj Benoot (Lotto Soudal) and launched by Tim Wellens (Lotto Soudal), the chasing group shrank considerably once again. Only Greg Van Avermaet (BMC), Michal Kwiatkowski (Sky), Zdenek Stybar (Quick-Step Floors), and Luke Durbridge (Orica-Scott) were able to follow Wellens. Tom Dumoulin (Sunweb), Edvald Boasson Hagen (Dimension Data), Matteo Trentin (Quick-Step Floors), and Tiesj Benoot, among others, caught up a little later. Meanwhile, in the leading group, Pinot, Jauregui, Korseth, and Goncalves shook off their two companions. But the chasing group closed the gap kilometer by kilometer. When Stybar attacked, bringing Dumoulin, Boasson Hagen, and Kwiatkowski with him, the gap was closed 34 kilometers from the finish. The now eight-man leading group then had to defend against the pace-setting of Lotto Soudal and BMC.

Kwiatkowski triumphs for the second time at the Strade Bianche

With 28 kilometers to go, the trio of Van Avermaet, Wellens and Durbridge closed up to the front in the rain. Meanwhile, Pinot fell behind. The rock-hard and very aggressively driven finale was heralded. Countless attacks were ridden, between which there was always a brief period of calm. The leading group watched. In the ninth gravel sector, the wheat should finally be separated from the chaff. Wellens attacked and only Van Avermaet, Stybar and Kwiatkowski stayed on. Over the following kilometers, Dumoulin, Juul-Jensen and Durbridge also caught up with the leaders. In the last gravel sector with a maximum gradient of 18 percent, Kwiatkowski drove with a small lead. Pursued by the strong trio of Van Avermaet, Stybar and Wellens. Despite intensive cooperation, the three could not reduce the gap. On the contrary: Kwiatkowski extended his lead and drove towards his second victory at the Strade Bianche after 2014 as a soloist. Even the last difficulty, the climb up to the old town of Siena, could not harm him. In the battle for second place, Van Avermaet prevailed over Wellens and Stybar.

Final result: 11th Strade Bianche 2017