Battered and bruised world champion Tadej Pogacar recovered from a crash to beat Tom Pidcock and retain his Strade Bianche title with another famous victory.
Pogacar and Pidcock went clear with 78.5km of the race remaining, before the UAE Team Emirates rider went down at high speed on a corner with 50km to go in Italy.
The reigning Tour de France champion swiftly got back to his feet and caught back up to the Briton, the 2023 winner, who eased off once it was apparent Pogacar was continuing to race after the accident.
The 26-year-old Slovenian then made his move on the penultimate gravel sector, with 18.6km to go, and went clear to win by one minute and 24 seconds.
“I enjoyed it until I crossed the finish line,” he said. “Now the adrenaline has started to wear off and I’m feeling a lot of pain.
“[It’s] not the best way to win a race, but a win is a win. Let’s hope it’s nothing worse than it looks. All should be fine.”
Pidcock came home second in Siena in Tuscany, while Belgium’s Tim Wellens completed the podium, two minutes and 12 seconds after his team-mate Pogacar.
The three-time Tour de France winner completed the prestigious 213km race in five hours 13 minutes and 58 seconds.
He becomes the first reigning world champion to win the modern classic, the first rider to win it back-to-back, and ties Switzerland’s Fabian Cancellara for most wins (three).
