Longer Strade Bianche route 'unnecessary' says defending champion Tom Pidcock

Tom Pidcock en route to victory at Strade Bianche 2023
Tom Pidcock en route to victory at Strade Bianche 2023 (Image credit: Alex Whitehead/SWpix)

Strade Bianche defending champion Tom Pidock (Ineos Grenadiers) called the extended 215km course unnecessary after an extra 31 kilometres, and more gravel sectors than ever were added for the 2024 edition. 

Pidcock heads into the Italian one-day race as the second favourite behind 2022 winner Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) after a strong start to his season at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and the Volta ao Algarve. 

James Moultrie
News Writer

James Moultrie is a gold-standard NCTJ journalist who joined Cyclingnews as a News Writer in 2023 after originally contributing as a freelancer for eight months, during which time he also wrote for Eurosport, Rouleur and Cycling Weekly. Prior to joining the team he reported on races such as Paris-Roubaix and the Giro d’Italia Donne for Eurosport and has interviewed some of the sport’s top riders in Chloé Dygert, Lizzie Deignan and Wout van Aert. Outside of cycling, he spends the majority of his time watching other sports – rugby, football, cricket, and American Football to name a few.