Anyone concerned about the welfare of Tadej Pogačar after his recent bout of gastroenteritis last month need not worry as the two-time Tour de France winner started his 2023 campaign in blistering form today. He rode away from the other select group riders on a sector of gravel with 40km remaining in Jaén Paraiso Interior (1.1).
Once he'd shaken off the last of his rivals he put his head down and drilled it all the way to the finish to take a very impressive win in the race known as the 'Spanish Strade Bianche'. Even a mechanical, forcing a change of bike, with 8km to go was not enough to derail the winning effort, though it did shave well over 30 seconds off his lead.
Ben Tulett (Ineos Grenadiers) was on Pogačar's wheel when he made his move with 42km to go. But such was the power of the UAE Team Emirates rider that young Brit Tulett simply couldn't hold him. Most of the others in the group didn't even try.
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And though the chasing group got organised and began working together, even their combined strength wasn't enough to hold the lone leader. Pogačar, riding so aggressively out front, simply continued to open the gap on the chasers.
One minute of an advantage quickly turning to two, though it was reduced somewhat due to the puncture. In the closing stages Turner got clear of the chasers with Tim Wellens, a team mate of the solo leader. And because Pogačar was over a minute clear, with less than 5km to go, Wellens worked with Turner to build a gap over those behind to ensure 2nd and 3rd places.
When Pogačar reached the finish line in Baeza after 179km of racing, Wellens and Turner had closed the gap a little but the winning advantage was still 49 seconds after 4½ hours of racing. Turner beat Wellens in the two-up sprint for 2nd place.
Another of the UAE Team Emirates riders, Marc Hirschi, won the sprint for 4th from the remains of the breakaway, some 1:17 down on the winner. Andreas Kron (Lotto Dstny) was 5th, followed by Tulett and then the Intermarché-Circus-Wanty duo of Lorenzo Rota and Georg Zimmermann in 7th and 8th.
While the UCI 1.1 race is not the biggest event in the world, the manner of Pogačar's win today is a warning shot across the bows for the rest of the pro peloton for the coming months and beyond.
More to come.
