MAGNIFICENT POGACAR polishes off his fourth Strada Bianchi

 

“IT’S NOT MUCH FUN” said Britain’s Tom Pidcock as

Pogacar sailed to an unprecedented fourth win a row at Strada Bianchi on Saturday.

I agreed with him. But for a different reason.

Pidock was referring to his misfortunes,  – he had unshipped his chain while trying to close on Pogacar and that was that. The past winner finished a gallant seventh.

No, the fun aspect for me went out of it watching the classy opposition

outclassed yet again by this phenomena  – unable to raise their game to stop the runaway.

 

As for Pog, he opened his season as he left off in 2025. Then it was with decisive long lone break to his take fifth consecutive Tour of Lombardy in October.   Now, five months later, he opens his 2026 campaign exactly as he left off – with a show of force which defies explanation.

For  Pogacar’s has once again destroyed the opposition with his trademark warp factor acceleration. And he won this 204-kilometre tough gravel classic in Tuscany attacking alone with 78km to go.

Only the impressive second place by 19-year-old Paul Seixas one minute behind promised a regime change in the near future – a real French prospect.

Pogacar's UAE Emirates-XRG team-mate Isaac del Toro was third.

 

It is so clear Pog is off a different class altogether. Maybe from a different galaxy. He’s probably got a saucer parked in an underground garage somewhere.

 

As brilliant and so impressively strong as he is, I admit a race reduced to a one-man band is  no longer that much fun.

 
What a pity Holland’s star Mathieu Van Der Poel opted not to ride. He’s also from a different  galaxy, probably.

He’d  have challenged Pog. He might have reached him, given him a fright.  The pair have been at each other hammer and nails in the classics before.

 I’d read he was put off because of an extra long climb in this year’s edition. Didn’t suit him.

But on the day we learn there was no extra climb.

Anyway, with Pog, it’s like watching a first cat destroy a third cat race and that’s no disrespect to other pros.

 

Perhaps organisers should handicap Pog and  his UAE team. Load their bikes with saddlebags filled with sand.

Or set the field off f ive minutes in front and let’s see how long it is before they catch up.

 

“Ha, ha. Titter ye not”, to borrow a catch phrase from t he late comedian Frankie Howard.  For there is race like this in Pog’s home country, where their hero is held back behind a field of hopefuls  before being unleashed to see if can catch up and still win.

He usually does, but  last year he was upstaged – if that’s the word – by an English rider!

 

This fun challenge takes place on Pogacar’s home roads in Krvavec, Slovenia. This is the  annual Pogi Challenge charity race, against 1,189 cyclists up a 15km climb with 1,189m of elevation gain.

Pogačar passed every participant with the exception of four-time British hill climb champion, Andrew Feather, 40,  from Bath.

The charity ride started with a non-timed 9.1km warm-up, before participants head up the timed climb itself. Sportingly, Pogačar gave them a six-minute head start and Feather held him off.

The thrill for the opposion is the antipication of  feeling that rush of air as the star rockets by!

 

Chabbey wins women’s Strada Bianchi in thrilling finish.

The women’s Strada Bianchi was far more unpredictable, as five riders battled the famous uphill finish in Siena, where Swiss champion Elise Chabbey won for the first time following a thrilling finish to the 133km race.

 

Seven riders sped onto the Via Santa Catarina, the final ascent through narrow streets to the Piazza del Campo finish, where three were dropped in the power finish.

Italian road champion Elisa Longo Borghini whose earlier breakaway had drawn top rivals to give chase and join her, was still full of fire and led most of the way up.

But in shoulder to shoulder battle for the last but one corner, Borghini gave best to Franziska Kock and Katarzyna Niewiadoma, as Chabbey, marking her time, shot down the inside and clear for victory .

 

 

 

Will he won't he...as Van Der Poel now doubtful starter in Strada Bianchi

 

BATTLE of the Giants on hold as some news reports say Mathieu Van Der Poel has decided not ro ride Saturday's Strada Bianchi where world champion Tadej Pogacar is bidding for a fourth consecutive victory.

While some news outlets tonight still say Van Der Poel will start, others say the additional climbing in the 2026 edition doesn't suit him and he will not be on the start line.

So the eagerly awaited clash of the giants in Tuscany Italy may be on hold.

Which is real downer after we saw how Van der Poel, who ran amok in the winter cyclo-cross season, rode away with   last Saturday’s opening Flemish classic, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad,

Did you see it?

One month – 28 days to be precise – after Mathieu Van Der Poel destroyed the field to take a record 8^th world cyclo-cross title in his native HollandollH, notching up, on the way, a record 50   UCI world cyclo-cross victories in his career, the flying Dutchman broke away to win the opening Flemish classic of 2026, the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad with the same stunning show of force!

It was his first victory of Omloop, and he rode 174 top roadmen off his wheel to carry it off.

Whether it is an hour-long ‘cross in clinging mud, sand and obstacles or a five hour road race featuring a dozen short cobbled climbs it makes no difference. Van Der Poel avoids the many spills in the peloton and when he puts the power down he’s gone.

Safe to say he’s on song.  We can expect a showdown between him and Pogacar as VDP  attempts a fourth  victory in Milan – San Remo later this month and a fourth consecutive win in Paris – Roubaix in April. The latter would equal a record shared only by Roger DeVlaeminck and Tom Boonen.

Pog, a winner of all the other “monuments”, has yet to win either Milan San Remo (he was third last year) or Paris Roubaix (second in  his debut last year, after a puncture). 

Van Der Poel’s exhibition in Belgium last Saturday was a sublime performance by an athlete at the top of his game. I caught the last hour or so live on the box so I’m not even going to attempt a coherent summary of the whole race.

There was the day long break.

Two hours to go and the chase was well underway with the field strung out and shedding riders from the back.

The action unfolded on the Molenberg climb when Florian Vermeersch led the field, with Van der Poel sat on his wheel. There was a brief frightener when Rick Pluimers slid out right in front of Van der Poel whose acrobatic cyclo-cross skills kicked in. He appeared to momentarily stall before skipping neatly sideways to carry on – all in the blink of an eye.

So it was he closed a gap to Vermeersch almost instantly and took control over the summit.  Up to them swept Tim van Dijke and this trio soon swept up to and rode straight by the leading break, who hitched a lift.

Six men on front. It was all Van der Poel now, a locomotive with five trucks hooked up to him, with only Vermeersch offering to contribute.

 

On the wicked cobbled climb of the Muur van Geraardsbergen – the wall of Flanders with the church at the summit - VDP accelerated clear of his companions. There was no attack, as such. He didn’t even get out of the saddle. Van Der Poel simply rode away from them but it took a massive effort, for he was lunging at the pedals in a huge gear on the wickedly steep cobbled climb. He was round the corner and gone, lost to sight by the chasers with less than 20km to go.

His late companions looked spent. It was over for them. As for the peloton at one minute they would not pull him back as a group. It would take a small break of two or three men.

But they had better be quick about it. There was an 8km tailwind section coming up, before a left turn and final seven kilometres run for home. Any counter attack would need to get away before that tailwind section otherwise even a tired peloton could more easily pull them back. No one got clear.

Nothing to be done.  Only a mechanical could stop the Dutchman superstar.

He was poetry in motion.

Behind him, Tim van Dijke outsprinted Florian Vermeersch for the runner-up spot.

So VDP nailed his colours to the mast and his task now is replicating this form for Milan – San Remo in a few weeks’ time.

And in the meantime attention switches to Strada Bianchi on Saturday, when Pogacar starts favourite on the white stoney dusty hilly roads of Tuscany.

Pogacar as defending champion will be bidding for his fourth title here.

 

 

 

 

Dancelli remembered for his long distance solo to win Milan - San Remo

 

ITALY’S Michele Dancelli, star of the Sixties and Seventies, passed away on December 18. He was 83. Dancelli is especially remembered for his winning triumph in the 1970 Milan - San Remo Spring Classic with an outstanding 70 –kilometre solo break!

This was a massive success for Italian fans, for it had been 18 years since an Italian had won the home opening Classic of the season.

My previous blog about that very race speculated as to whether Tadej Pogacar, third last year, could win the next edition with his trademark lone break. Regrettably I had missed the Dancelli story, his famous solo victory in the race known as the sprinters classic.

It is thanks to a friend of mine, Al, a one-time training partner back in the 70s who, moved to examine the results more thoroughly, gave me that gem.

For I well recall Dancelli who was from my era, an exciting rider who regularly made the headlines.

Clearly, my story lacked this vital and epic performance which Pogacar will surely want to emulate.

Dancelli was riding for Molteni, the team of the great Eddy Merckx.

This was the era of Merckx, unsurpassed as the greatest rider of all time and of Gimondi, another Italian star and, like Merckx, a grand tour winner.

Dancelli may not have achieved their heights, but he had a Stella record. He was twice Italian road champion, 11 times a Giro stage winner and wearer of the Maglia Rosa for 14 days.

He was both a Tour rider and a single-day classic star, winning the 1966 Fleche – Wallonne and 1968 Paris – Luxembourg, and taking many podium places in other major single-day races.

He had panache, tenacity, ambition. A Dancelli attack demanded attention! He would win from breakaways, on climbs, on descents.

When he attacked it was either get him back or go with him.

In that historic 1970 Milan San Remo, no one else could.

But it all came to a premature end in 1971 when he broke his femur in Tirreno Adriatico and was unable to perform at the same level again.

RIP Michele Dancelli.

 

Place your bets: Pogacar to win both Milan - San Remo and Paris-Roubaix in 2026

 

Can Pogacar at last score in Milan – San Remo and in Paris – Roubaix next year?

Why not?  It’s not yet 2026 and already we are asking can the star of the new Millennium, Tadej Pogacar the 27-year-old Slovenian, at last win the  two Monuments missing from his impressive palmares.

They are the spring classic Milan – San Remo in March and the cobbled Hell of the North, the Paris-Roubaix, in April.

We know he’s targeting both and needs to be at his best. Let’s focus on his first challenge, the season-opener, the longest classic of them all at some 300 kilometres, Milan – San Remo which he will start for the sixth time. He has twice finished third.

Clearly Pogacar is wary of his main rivals, double winner in San Remo Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert, winner in 2020; not to mention the reigning Olympic road and time trial champion Remco Evenpoele.

The question is, can he win it in his trade mark fashion, deny the sprinters with a long lone break no one else can match?

His most recent audacious triumphs have included defending his world road race title in Rwanda last September, going solo 66km out from the finish.

And the next month he won his fifth consecutive Tour of Lombardia, the closing classic of the season, with an equally astonishing lone break of 50 kilometres.

We know he can sprint. Here’s a couple. On the opening stage of the Criterium du Dauphine this year he outsprinted Jonas Vingegaard and Mathieus Van de Poel. On stage 4 of the Tour de France in Rouen this year, he outsprinted Van der Poel to chalk up his 100^th victory.

 

World Road Race Champion Tadje Pogacar earlier this year.

But the lone attack seems to have become his modus operandi.

The question is can this serve him in Milan - San Remo? 

I can find no record of anyone doing so from a long way out.  For Milan – San Remo is known as the sprinters classic, with a super group at the head of the race going full pelt, pulling back the usual earlier breakaway of hopefuls who sometimes stay clear for a long while.

The race favours those who have the legs to get clear on the infamous final climb of the Poggio,  five kilometres from the end, or on rare occasions, by anyone mad enough to attack on the twisting descent which bottoms out in San Remo about 2km from the line. There is often only seconds separating the first few at the finish.

But last March, the race winning trio formed on the Cipressa, some 22 kilometres from the finish.

The race starts from Milan in the industrial heart of Northern Italy to finish in the fashionable seaside resort of San Remo on the Italian Riviera.

From the start, field heads south west over the plains of Lombardy and Piedmont, via the cities of Pavia, Voghera, Tortona, Novi Ligure and Ovada.

At Liguria, the riders tackle their first hurdle of the day, the Turchino Pass after 140 kilometres.

They are at almost half distance here and after the descent soon reach the spectacular Ligurian Coast, which they will hug all the way to Remo passing through many seaside resorts, the blue sea to t heir left. They must tackle three short climbs, the Capo Mele, Capo Cervo and Capo Berta in San Lorenzo al Mare. Now the course loops inland towards what is often the first big shakedown, the climb of the Cipressa with a summit 22 kilometres from the finish.

The peloton is usually much reduced by this point, but still a sizeable group rejoins the coast road, now moving at a fair lick and facing one last hurdle, the Poggio, 5.4km from the line.

They hit this slope and all hell breaks loose, attack after attack.

What are the odds of Pogacar - who has attacked up here before – doing so again and this time getting clear? Can he land this elusive victory this time?

Let us take a look at his five previous attempts; 12^th in 2020; 5^th in 2022; 4^th in 2023; 3^rd in both 2024 and 2025.

Take a look at the main players in each of those finishes.

The 2020 edition was won in a close sprint by Wout Van Aert from Julian Alaphilippe both in the same time – 7 hours, 16 minutes nine seconds.

Breathing down their necks at two seconds, Michael Matthews took third outsprinting Peter Sagan and a large groups including Pogacar placed 12^th.

The 2022 edition taken won by Matej Mohorič, executing a brilliant solo attack on the descent of the Poggio to finish two seconds clear of Anthony Turgis; Van der Pol was third with Pogacar 5^th, from a group of seven.

2023 Van per Poel won alone, 15 seconds ahead of   Filippo Ganna second with Van Aert third and Pogacar fourth, all in the same time.

In 2024 it came down to another group sprint all given the same time , with Jasper Philipsen first from Matthews with Pogacar third.

2025 Van der Poel won for the second time, beating Ganna.  Pogacar was third again in a sprint finish after the trio had escaped the peloton on the Cipressa 22 kilometres out.  They finished 43 seconds ahead of the next group led in by Michael Matthews.

It was notable that it was Pogacar who started that move on the Cipressa, rocketing ahead of the group from which only Van der Poel and Ganna were able to bridge the widening the gap on the fastest ever ascent of the climb.

Cue for 2026!

 

 

 

CHRISTMAS IN 666 WORDS

 

For over a month now, the commercialisation of Christmas has been driving me and others mad. Spoiling what was once a fun occasion. So let's jumble up the letters and Christmas becomes Shitcram.

In fact, we’re longing for the spring to come around, so we can get outside to enjoy our newly laid Indian Sandstone patio.

Meantime, we are where we are. And we must learn to deal with it. This enforced festive nonsense in the shops and on the television and social media where the observations posted by the Dull Men’s Club provide a few laughs and some respite.

September was barely done with when the first of the Shitcram themed family magazines crept onto my local supermarket shelves.  Horrified, I did what any sensible person would do.

I promptly covered them up by placing other mags over them and no one noticed, for they remained covered for the best part of week.

But then the onslaught got under way and by mid October  I couldn’t keep up with this strategy as the shelves swelled with a plague of Shitcram stuff – muting Halloween and Bonfire Night at a stroke,

 And the adverts are full on and ramming it all down our throats with two clear months to go.

Some of the ads are fun, of course. But mostly they're boring,  that and  the daily countdown provided from  TV presenters has become tedious.

Best Shitcram commercial so far has to be the Tesco one which is so unlike all the other stereotypical advertisements. Typically they comprise the ubiquitous smiling families baring t heir gleaming perfect teeth, mums and dads, grandparents and the grandchildren all laughing and joking and gathering around tables laden with food.

This trend which has got worse over the years clearly gave Tesco’s marketing people an idea for a new USP. So they hit on an idea of showing the grumpy gathering with forced smiles, and a man frowning and saying, “Oh, I see it’s that time of year again.” The scene also depicts two younger men – uncles probably – arguing and close to blows as other family members – none smiling – look on.   The scene is wrapped up with a slogan about Tesco providing all the food you need to get through it all.  Because it’s not uncommon for the day to finish off with mum in tears – it’s always a mum in these sexist scenes - because off all the pressure of preparation. Bah.

As an innocent child Christmas, as I happily still knew it, only began to roll come December, not end of September. That was a long enough for children, counting off the days to Christmas Eve when we would put out stockings at the end of bed.

And now for a word for the forgotten others, several thousands of them, ill in bed.  I have to do this in this from time to time, in the name of balance.

Because the reality for many households with serious health issues – EDS, POTS, autism, ME

meriting zilch empathy from doctors - means Shitcram is often a very much scaled down affair. Carers are up and down stairs throughout the day tending their sick lying bed too ill to take part. So no entertaining at home, no going down the pub. The horror of isolation.

Not helped by universal practice of surgeries not providing routine home visits to anyone housebound, unless pressed to.

We’ll have our little tree up with lights on. And we’ll send out cards to keep in touch with old friends and relatives.  The charity on our Shitcram cards this year is autism.

Best stay clear of those Facebook posts boasting of a house full of family for Shitcram dinner. Ah, but that’s mean, bitter. Who knows what trauma, what health issues, individuals around that table have survived, even now may have to deal with.  So, go on, pull your crackers. Get merry.

Bit of luck we’ll watch cyclo-cross and cross-country skiing on the tele. And “Gone Fishing”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

'Brutal' World's in Rwanda - was pollution to blame?

 

AIR POLLUTION in Kigali, Rwanda,  is rated extremely hazardous to even healthy individuals by the World Health Organisation |(WHO) and raises the question as to whether the UCI World Road Championships should have been staged there. The WHO's advice? Don't exersize in Kigali!

Rwanda  was praised for hosting the first UCI World Road Championships to be staged by an African nation, which concluded on Sunday with a spectacular lone victory for Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia in the Men's Elite race which involved more than  5000 metres of climbing during the near seven hour race.

The races were said to be a  hugely popular with the cycling mad population who lined the routes in their thousands.

But the World's were described as one of the most brutal riders have taken part in and you have to wonder if that was due to poor air quality. Pollution is much higher than in Western Europe.

Tucked away in news reports on Sunday, was  a report that several riders complained of breathing difficulties.

Apparently, Rwanda, and in particular the capital Kigali, where the World’s was staged, has pollution levels four times greater than World Health Organisation Guidelines.

There is smog, high levels of fine particulate matter and other air quality issues caused by pollution from rapid urbanisation, poor waste management, industrial activity and vehicle emissions.

According to Interactive Country Fiches, which contributes data to the UN Environment Programme Project, there is increased mortality and morbidity in the population caused by cardiovascular and respiratory disease, leading to the second highest cause of death in Rwanda.

 

 

30TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATES RAYNER LEGACY FUNDING BRITISH RIDERS EUROPEAN DREAMS

 

THE Dave Rayner Foundation which has paved the way for over 90 British riders to join Continental pro teams over the past three decades, celebrates its 30^th anniversary with a fund-raising dinner in Leeds on November 8.

The occasion has long been established as a major social highlight of the year in the UK, inviting famous name guests from home and abroad.

 Here’s the link:

https://www.theraynerfoundation.org/event-details/the-30th-anniversay-rayner-foundation-charity-dinner-2025

 The Rayner Fund continues to provide budding racers, young men and women, with opportunities to test themselves in the field of combat in the vibrant European racing calendar.

One such former Rayner rider is Oscar Onley, 25,  who was a remarkable fourth in the 2025 Tour de France. Onley was Rayner funded in 2021 and 2022.

Oscar Onley, the former Rayner funded rider, pictured during the 2025 Tour de France when he finished 4th overall.

Over the past 30 years the Rayner fund has provided £1.2m in rider support, providing 663 grants to place young men and women in overseas clubs and teams to learn their craft. In that time 92 riders, have progressed into the pro ranks, many to World Tour teams.

But the Fund couldn’t provide such opportunities without financial support and at the Leeds dinner, the famous auction of cycling memorabilia aims to generate more income to keep the wheels turning.

 “We started this year with 38 riders. Some have fallen by the wayside, we still have 32 out there!” explains Jocelyn Ryan, Rider Liaison.

In 2024 six Rayner supported riders turned professional. The year before, three joined pro teams and in2022, five turned pro.

 As well as funding individuals, the Foundation’s Gateway Project supports teams of riders abroad, for junior men, junior women and senior women development teams.

In this way, it created some 200 opportunities to race abroad in 2022, for 10 different teams on 33 separate trips.

Keith Lambert, the former British professional champion, now a member and trustee of the Rayner Foundation, says. “The experience or racing in Europe is seen as a necessity in the development of ever-younger riders, assisting more British riders to hopefully progress to become future professionals.”

 To which Ryan adds that they have had some great fundraising activity the last few months – including but not exclusively, former pro Allan Peiper donating some amazing memorabilia including three jerseys from Tadej Pogacar from his first Tour de France victory.

Photographer Phil O’Connor also did a sponsored walk over 100 miles, and the Etape du Dales was a success with 300 riders taking part.

 The Rayner Fund was founded in 1995 following the death of UK’s leading professional at the time, Dave Rayner.

The charity's objectives are to help young people advance in life through the sport and healthy recreation of cycling.

Recent women juniors to benefit include Cat Ferguson, Carys Lloyd and Imogen Wolff who have all joined the growing ranks of women professionals now. Also among the pros are Millie Couzens riding for Fenix and Josie Nelson, for PICNIC.

Awen Roberts who is in a development team had a delayed start to season due to injury.

Robyn Clay who is in a UK team was able to spend a few weeks in Belgium away from the team to cram in as much racing as possible.

“We think she will become a professional but no announcement yet. While in UK she won the National Series.” Explains Ryan.

However, some youngsters take some convincing to commit to live and racing abroad, she says. “It’s ironic as they have so many opportunities to become professional and in my opinion they often miss the basic apprenticeship.

Jack Brough, Harry Hudsen and Adam Mitchell are just three from a large group of young men experiencing Continental racing made possible by the Foundation.