Tadej Pogačar completed his final reconnaissance ride before Strade Bianche on Thursday, hinting he was ready to race and perhaps win the Tuscan gravel race for a record-breaking fourth time.
Pogačar rode the key gravel sectors of the race route with his teammates, even riding up to the finish in Siena's Piazza il Campo for a selfie with Isaac del Toro and Florian Vermeersch.
He then returned to the Colle Pinzuto sector, which has been named the Tadej Pogačar sector to celebrate his three victories at Strade Bianche. He posed next to the milestone that marks the start of the sector alongside fellow three-time winner Fabian Cancellara.
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Pogačar is the favourite to win for a fourth time and hinted he is ready for his 2026 season debut after a winter of training.
"I worked really hard to be very good," Pogačar told a small group of media, including Cyclingnews, who attended the milestone ceremony in the Tuscany countryside.
"I hope for the best. I'm happy to restart the season, be back with the team and be back racing. I hope I'm ready. Let's have some fun.
"I did a lot of winter training preparing for the Classics. I was really in a good place at home and did some training camps too. The time passed so fast that the winter always seems too short."
Pogačar described the Colle Pinzuto climb as "tricky" and highlighted the false flat gravel section over the top of the Tuscan hill covered in vines and olive trees.
He attacked alone with 80km to go to win Strade Bianche in 2024. Last year he again went early with Tom Pidcock, came back from a high-speed slide out on a corner and then attacked the Briton on the final climb of Colle Pinzuto.
Pogačar did not reveal when he will attack this year but hinted at his expected race strategy for the late climb.
"Maybe somebody will be behind me, not in front of me. We'll see how the race goes," he said.
Pogačar accepted that 19-year-old super talent Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM) could be on his wheel on Colle Pinzuto.
"He looks in really good shape, and I'm really interested to see what he can do on Saturday," he said.
Pogačar's arrival at the Colle Pinzuto gravel sector forced the local police to close the road, as two hundred or so fans invaded the road to see him unveil his milestone. He posed for photographs with Cancellara, who won Strade Bianche in 2008, 2012 and 2016.
"I hope this rock stays forever here and that somebody doesn't steal it or nature doesn't move it," the Slovenian joked, appreciating the symbolism of a sector being named after him.
"It really means something. It's different from what you get after a race, like a trophy. It doesn't stay on your shelf at home and you forget about it. It's here for people to see, and that's why I'm honoured to receive this rock."
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