With three dominant Strade Bianche wins from his last three starts in 2022, 2024, and 2025, Tadej Pogačar has proven unbeatable at the race in recent years.
Now, to mark his achievements on the white gravel of Tuscany, the world champion has been honoured by race organisers RCS Sport.
The honour of having a sterrato sector named after him has previously been bestowed upon the race's only other three-time winner, Fabian Cancellara, who received the prize in 2017.
At this year's 20th edition of the race, Pogačar and the rest of the peloton will race past a stone monument bearing his name as they race up the challenging and sometimes decisive Colle Pinzuto sector.
The 600-metre, 7.5% sector was where Pogačar left behind Tom Pidcock before soloing home to secure his third Strade Bianche title last March. In 2024 and 2022, of course, he was already well clear of his rivals, having mounted 81km and 50km solo raids.
Cancellara, who won the race in 2008, 2012, and 2016, has his name next to another challenging and well-known sterrato sector, Monte Sante Marie. It's the same place where Pogačar rode away in 2024 to one of his most memorable triumphs.
His 2025 win, meanwhile, saw him come back from a crash upon exiting the Monteaperti sector with 50km left to run. He and Pidcock had been away together for 28km by that point, but the Briton sportingly waited for him.
The crash clearly had little lasting effect on Pogačar, who went on to attack at the sector which will now bear his name, ending his ride in Siena, 1:24 up on second-placed Pidcock.
Pogačar will have the opportunity to take the Strade Bianche win record for himself next month when he'll line up in search of a fourth victory on Saturday, March 7. He and teammate Isaac del Toro will be facing off against Pidcock, Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike), Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) and more on a 203km course featuring 14 sterrato sectors.
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