Pogacar begins season with dominant Strade Bianche win

Pogacar made a typically devastating long-range break around 80-kilometres from the finish, after which it was a procession to the line in Siena for his third win in a row there.

In doing so, the four-time Tour de France winner proved once again that his appetite to triumph -- and dominantly -- has not diminished despite his myriad successes.

One of the 27-year-old Slovenian's main targets for this season comes in a week's time at the Milan-San Remo one-day classic -- one of only two of the five Monument races he is yet to win.

Seixas, 19, came home in second place with the young Mexican Isaac Del Toro third after 207km racing through picturesque rolling Tuscan countryside dusted with white gravel roads.

Pogacar made his decisive move with around 80km still to race -- just as he had done two years ago -- on the Monte Sante Marie gravel section.

His UAE team had put the hammer down heading into that section and once Pogacar attacked on a tough climb, he quickly distanced everyone else.

Seixas was the rider who resisted the longest -- even briefly dragging back Pogacar -- before the world champion accelerated again and disappeared over the horizon for good.

"I saw he was chasing really hard on the steepest part of the climb on Sante Marie, and I said to myself: 'I'll go all-out to the top then I'll see'," said Pogacar.

"Either he can come to my wheel or there'll be a gap. In the end, it was enough."
'He's one of the best ever'
Seixas acknowledged he had been beaten by the better man.

"Tadej was clearly stronger. When he attacked I saw him, he saw that I was coming back, he turned around, accelerated again. I think he was managing his effort whereas I was on the limit," said Seixas, who was delighted with his result.

"He's one of the best ever riders, you just have to respect that."

The Frenchman ended up in a chase group that included Del Toro -- who was sitting on with his UAE teammate in the lead -- former Strade Bianche winner Tom Pidcock and two-time Paris-Nice champion Matteo Jorgenson, but they were already over a minute behind 20km after Pogacar's attack.

Seixas attacked about 18km from the finish and only Del Toro went with him but the Mexican refused to help the Frenchman chase down Pogacar, who won with ease.

Seixas, who many believe is the man to end his country's 41-year wait for another Tour de France winner, finally dropped Del Toro on the Via Santa Catarina climb to the finish to earn what is probably his most impressive professional result to date.

Swiss champion Elise Chabbey won the women's race in a thrilling finish.

Seven riders arrived together at the Via Santa Catarina, the final climb up to the Piazza del Campo finish, before it was soon whittled down to a front four.

Italian Elisa Longo Borghini led most of the way up the climb but Franziska Koch and Katarzyna Niewiadoma drew level with her and the three went into the penultimate corner shoulder-to-shoulder.

They almost touched as they ran wide, allowing Chabbey to dart down the inside to take the lead barely 100 metres from the line.

Pole Niewiadoma took second with German Koch third.