Why Mathieu van der Poel excludes Strade Bianche (maybe even in the coming years)
Many people wonder: wouldn’t Mathieu van der Poel be better off adding Strade Bianche 2026 to his schedule? After all, he also starts in Tirreno-Adriatico just two days later. But no: he won’t be racing on Saturday. At Alpecin-Premier Tech, he’s not even on the reserve list. And there are several reasons for this. Possibly for the coming years as well.
The main reason why the 31-year-old Dutchman isn’t heading to Siena and its surroundings is very simple: the race is too tough for Mathieu van der Poel. Those raising their eyebrows now—after all, he won Strade Bianche in 2021—will find the facts here.
On Cyclingflash’s results pages for the Italian gravel classics, you can see that the amount of elevation gain in that race has fluctuated yearly between 2,933 and 3,110 meters. In the edition where Van der Poel was the best, there were a total of 3,072 meters (found under the info heading on the results page). “Back then, it was still manageable for punchy classics riders; now it’s beyond the limit.”
Too much elevation
Signed, Christoph Roodhooft. The team owner of Alpecin–Premier Tech has been the Dutchman’s constant companion for years. He might know him better than anyone when it comes to Van der Poel’s physical limits. “It has become much harder now,” Roodhooft told Het Nieuwsblad. “In kilometers, but especially in elevation gain. Compared to five years ago, the elevation gain has increased by 20 to 25 percent.” It’s slightly less, but the reasoning is correct. Strade Bianche 2024 had 3,669 meters of climbing, and last year there were even 3,716 meters of climbing.
Okay, this season the organizers—after Tadej Pogacar’s recent dominance?—decided to remove sixteen kilometers of gravel sections and reduce the distance from 213 to 201 kilometers. But data on Cyclingflash show that this edition still counts 3,567 meters of elevation gain. By comparison: the 2025 Tour of Flanders included 2,009 meters of climbing spread over nearly 270 kilometers, while the Amstel Gold Race—where Van der Poel says in recent years it’s just about manageable or just not—had 3,149 meters of climbing over 256 kilometers last year. That says enough.
No chance to win? No participation!
Moreover, the Strade Bianche finale hasn’t changed, and the world champion will be at the start. This makes winning chances very slim. No disrespect intended, but that’s the only reason Van der Poel shows up at the start of a race like Strade Bianche. “A lot depends on the competition,” Roodhooft confirms. “In 2021, he had to beat Egan Bernal. Also not easy. But if he runs into Tom Pidcock or Pogacar at 100%, it’s very difficult for him. And indeed: then Mathieu is better off focusing on other races.”
The time when both the Flemish classics specialists and the more climbing-oriented types could challenge each other on the sterrati is over since the race got tougher. Very unfortunate, especially since a lot of technique is required on the gravel roads. Van der Poel is a master of the peloton in that respect. “I’m even sure Mathieu himself finds this regrettable,” says Roodhooft about skipping Strade Bianche this year. “Ultimately, it’s still an attractive race. But that’s how it is now. As the race is today, Mathieu has little to look for there.” Not now, never?
