Mathieu van der Poel defeated Strade Bianche with a devastating final attack on the climb from Via Santa Caterina to the center of Siena.
Just as he did in the final dirt sector, when only Julian Alaphilippe and Egan Bernal could remain in contact, Van der Poel fired with an intense final effort out of the saddle, producing enormous force as he stepped on the pedals.
Van der Poel quickly distanced Alaphilippe and Bernal on the 16% slope of Via Santa Caterina, reached the top of the climb with a gap and had plenty of time to celebrate in style. Alaphilippe finished five seconds down, with Bernal a further 20 seconds away.
Television struggled to capture the intensity and power of Van der Poel’s attack. However, roadside fans got the chance, showing just how amazing Van der Poel’s attack really was.
Local journalist Tommaso Lorenzini posted his footage on Twitter, while ‘Solowattaggio’ posted a slow-motion video on Instagram.
“This is Van der Poel’s attack on Santa Caterina…. I’m scared … ”wrote Lorenzini in his post.
He added next: “I hope they never think about changing the course of the race or the distance. It’s perfect, just look at the drivers who came to fight for victory. It is a race for (almost) everyone. It’s pure magic, the beauty of cycling. ”
Solowattaggio highlighted how Van der Poel was able to produce such intensity.
“While the cycling world thinks about saving grams of wheels, losing weight, tubular pressures or the speed needed to change a disc brake wheel compared to rim brakes. While the world thinks about FTP, hours of piloting and training on the threshold. While normal people think that just following a plan is enough, there is someone who wins with a five-second acceleration. Mathieu van der Poel thinks about only one thing: intensity. ”
Watch the two videos below.
I want to scatto di #VanDerPoel su per Santa Caterina … Ho paura … #StradeBianche pic.twitter.com/FTjId3ViSoMarch 6, 2021