2020 Strade Bianche Results & Recap
2020 Strade Bianche is in the books. The final results and standings are below, followed by our recap of how the race unfolded.
Race Recap
Van Aert victorious in Siena
After finishing third twice at the Strade Bianche, the Belgian cyclocross world champion Wout van Aert (Team Jumbo - Visma) broke through and won the fourteenth edition of the Strade Bianche after a daring solo breakaway from a select group of riders, just 15 kilometres to the finish.
Davide Formolo (UAE Team Emirates) and Maximilian Schachmann (BORA - hansgrohe) trailed the Belgian into the famous piazza in Siena to finish second and third in a race that decimated the field with its 11 sectors of gravel and 184km long.
A few seconds after crossing the finish line, the winner Wout van Aert told reporters, "After two podiums in the last two editions of the Strade Bianche, I have gained a lot of confidence in my chances of doing well in this race. Winning is never easy, it has been more difficult in today's circumstances, making this success even more beautiful. It is proof that I have reached an excellent level. Winning the Strade Bianche at the age of 25, with my cyclocross background, is a great satisfaction."
It was a blisteringly hot day that marked the reset of professional racing. Temperatures reached almost 39 Celcius along the route, with dusty, hot dirt roads to boot. A break formed in the opening 20km which was instigated by Simon Pellaud (Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec). He was joined by Nicola Bagioli, Quentin Pacher (B&B Hotels-Vital Concept), Iuri Filosi (Bardiani-CSF-Faizanè), Corné Van Kessel (Circus-Wanty Gobert) and Benjamin Declercq (Arkéa-Samsic).
The group managed to stay out front until mid-race, when the pace was upped and things began to fall apart. Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) took advantage, and attacked. He was chased by eventual winner Van Aert, Formolo, Schachmann, Alberto Bettiol (EF Pro Cycling), Greg Van Avermaet (CCC Team), and Michael Gogl (NTT Pro Cycling).
Before the next gravel sector and less than 40 km left, Schachmann attacked and took Van Aert with him. The group reformed eventually, with counter attacks coming thick and fast. Van Avermaet was cooked, and the last riders standing after Van Aert's final move were Formolo and Schachmann. The two looked to almost be on the tail of Van Aert, but they couldn't bridge across to the young star and had to settle for sprinting for second and third, while the Belgian took the spoils.
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