Three-time Strade Bianche champion Fabian Cancellara says he would lose no sleep over seeing the joint record for victories in the Italian Classic that he currently shares with Tadej Pogačar finally superceded by the Slovenian star on Saturday.
Expectations are high that the UAE Team Emirates-XRG leader will start his 2026 season at Strade Bianche exactly as he left off in Italy at Il Lombardia last October: by winning.
If that happens, then Pogačar will move ahead of Cancellara in terms of Strade wins. Currently they have three apiece: Cancellara in 2008, 2012 and 2016, and Pogačar in 2022, 2024 and 2025.
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Nothing is set in stone in Strade º although Pogačar did get a plinth, in honour of his contributions to the race, unveiled on Thursday on the Colle Pinzuto sector – and the 27-year-old will face stiff opposition en route to the finish in Siena.
However, as Cancellara, also with a sector named after him, told Sporza "If he wins, I have no problem with that."
"On paper it's pretty clear, but there's still racing to be done," he said, referring to the chances of a third Pogačar victory in as many years.
"If Tadej wins, I have no problem with it. It's an honour to share that title with him. But if someone from Tudor" – the team which Cancellara owns and founded – "wins, I'll be even happier," he added with a smile.
The absence of Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech), already a winner at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad last weekend, on Saturday can hardly fail to go unnoticed, particularly as he's the only rider who's managed to give Pogačar a full run for his money in the Classics.
However, Cancellara, 44, told Sporza that, compared to when he raced in Tuscany, "Strade has become more difficult, but I'm convinced Van der Poel has a chance here. This race simply might not have fit into his schedule. No one should judge that."
A multiple winner of the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix – the latter one of the few one-day races still missing from Pogačar's palmarès – Cancellara delivered fulsome praise for Pogačar's own contribution to the sport.
"He has made cycling grow and has taken cycling to a different level, especially in a global context," he said.
"It's clear that he's currently the best rider. But I'm not comparing him to other riders like Eddy Merckx. This is a different era."
"Pogačar is also racing much less this year. I'm curious about that approach. As long as he's motivated and enjoys cycling, though, that's fine."
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