Cancellara already “claimed” the favourite, but Colle Pinzuto is a fitting tribute for Pogačar too

The rule that a rider gets a sector named after them after three victories at Strade Bianche is a wonderful one. It’s also very Italian: heroes of the country’s races are remembered for years in a tangible way. And winning Strade Bianche three times is no small feat.

Fabian Cancellara was, until last year, the only rider to pull it off. The Swiss won the second edition in 2008, was best again in 2012, and completed his hat-trick in 2016. Back then, Strade Bianche was still a race for the big engines — by 2026, that’s no longer the case.

Where Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel claimed the race in 2020 and 2021, the honour roll since then has featured only strong climbers. Pogačar won in 2022, 2024 and 2025, while Tom Pidcock took the 2023 edition.

Pogačar’s hat-trick in 2025 felt inevitable — and plenty of people are already pencilling in a fourth victory for Saturday, 7 March, too. Of course, anything can happen: Pogačar can crash. But even a heavy fall didn’t stop him last year from taking a solo win to the Piazza del Campo.

In a few years’ time, three Strade Bianche wins might not even seem that extraordinary anymore. Maybe Pogačar will be sitting on six, seven — or even eight. The white roads of Tuscany suit him perfectly, for more than one reason.

He is exceptionally skilful on the bike, which matters on the demanding sectors with loose stones and deep ruts. He is arguably the best in the world at positioning, meaning he rarely misses an attack from the front. And with the route becoming harder, Pogačar can use his power even more effectively.

Monte Sante Marie has traditionally been the place where Pogačar separated the wheat from the chaff in his victories. The sector of just over 11 kilometres features brutally steep gravel ramps, technical descents and rolling sections where good legs can open up serious gaps very quickly.

In almost any universe, Monte Sante Marie would now be called ‘Strada Tadej Pogačar’ — but Strade Bianche’s toughest sector was already named after Cancellara back in 2017. It is literally set in stone when you ride onto the sector.

So the Strade Bianche organisation had to look for another gravel stretch to carry Pogačar’s name. They ended up with a very solid second choice: Colle Pinzuto. It is a kind of mini–Monte Sante Marie, and it is also the place where Pogačar decided the race in 2025.

Pogačar unveiled the stone at 3:00pm on Thursday, with his name now visible for all to see. Italians may still call it Colle Pinzuto forever, but officially — in both word and gesture — it has become Pogačar’s sector.

And in truth, it’s a very fitting tribute. Even though he has repeatedly put his Strade Bianche wins on display on Monte Sante Marie, Colle Pinzuto has become a key feature as the new judge of a new-era Strade Bianche. The climb has always been there, paired with Le Tolfe, but it is now tackled twice.

It starts just after the spot where he went down. You turn right, thunder over a small bridge, and then it becomes very, very steep — all the way up to a small Tuscan hotel. The remainder of the sector constantly rises and falls, allowing a rider to extend an advantage. And in Pogačar’s case: to win, once again.

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Bram van der Ploeg ( X: @BvdPloegg | email : [email protected])