Alpecin explain Van der Poel Strade Bianche absence

A tough pill to swallow for cycling fans, many of whom will still have the 2021 edition etched into their memory. 

On the final gravel sector, he went on the offensive alongside Julian Alaphilippe and Egan Bernal, and on the brutal Via Santa Caterina in Siena he launched a splitting acceleration, dropping them both on the steep final ramp before riding onto Piazza del Campo to take the win. At the time, it was only his third victory in a major one day Classic, following the Amstel Gold Race in 2019 and the Tour of Flanders in 2020, and it hardly seemed like it would be his last triumph at Strade Bianche.

Van der Poel himself has called Strade Bianche “one of the most beautiful races on the calendar”, which makes sense given his love for cyclocross and mountain biking, disciplines that naturally come in handy on Strade’s gravel roads.

After his 2021 victory, Van der Poel only returned to the start line in 2023, finishing 15th, 1 minute 46 seconds down on winner Tom Pidcock.

Speaking to Het Nieuwsblad, Christoph Roodhooft first pointed to Van der Poel’s training structure to explain his absence. “Mathieu also needs a solid training block from time to time. Do not forget that he was at altitude until just before Omloop. Those eight days between Omloop and Tirreno are valuable for him. If you ride Strade Bianche, you lose several of those days. And there would only be one day between Strade and Tirreno. Considering his busy April schedule, that is not ideal.” 

But next to that, Roodhooft admits the real issue is the race itself. Strade has become heavier. The route has been tweaked year after year, and the biggest shift is in elevation gain. Roodhooft estimates the climbing has increased by around twenty to twenty five percent compared with the edition Van der Poel won. 

The recent totals tell the same story. Strade rarely climbed above about 3,300 metres before 2023, then it jumped close to 3,900 and last season it was described as even higher, around 4,200. Even with a slightly shorter distance this year, it still sits above 3,500. 

“In the past this race was already on the limit for classic riders with explosive power. Back then it was just manageable. Now it has gone beyond that limit,” Roodhooft says. 

He adds that the level of opposition matters just as much: “When Mathieu won in 2021, he had to beat Bernal. That was not easy either. But if you come up against a Pidcock or a Pogačar at one hundred percent, it would become very, very difficult for him. And in that case, Mathieu is better off focusing on other races.”