Strade Bianche 2026: Pogacar’s nutrition plan and the nine-rider escape that reshaped the race

Strade Bianche 2026 began with two images: Tadej Pogacar at a newly unveiled stone on Colle Pinzuto and his UAE Team Emirates riders quietly topping up carbohydrates before the start. The weekend’s ritual — a memorial moment and a methodical feeding plan — sat beside a vivid live race where nine riders slipped clear and forced the favourites to react.

How is Strade Bianche 2026 shaping UAE Team Emirates’ nutrition?

Gorka Prieto, head of nutrition for Pogacar and the UAE Team Emirates, described a highly structured approach. “We define the feed plan whether it is a classic, a mountain stage or a flat stage, and we treat Strade Bianche like a classic, ” he said, explaining that the team treats each event with specific targets. In the days before the race the squad undertook a deliberate glycogen loading: “In the last two days they have had food richer in carbohydrates, ” Prieto noted.

Prieto outlined how individualized the work is: each rider follows a program set by their coach and Prieto’s team sets macronutrient targets and timing. “I indicate the target of macronutrients they must respect, ” he said, adding that while some riders receive full menus from the staff, others prefer to follow items listed on an exclusive team app. The team uses common products supplied by Enervit, but actual quantities vary by rider role and body size: “Breakfast will not be the same for Tadej and for Florian, ” Prieto said, pointing to the difference in weight between Pogacar and Florian Vermeersch as an example of why menus differ.

Who rode away early and how did the race evolve?

Live coverage by Alfredo Corallo and Alberto Pontara captured the race unfolding in real time. The start in Siena led quickly into aggression: “A first attempt at a breakaway that seems to work: nine riders attack, ” their account recorded. Early on the nine had nearly two minutes on the bunch, later about a minute and a half after the first 40 kilometres. The route included key climbs and sectors of dirt, with the climb of Montalcino listed at 5. 5 km with an average gradient of 5. 2 percent and a third gravel sector, Radi, giving riders fresh places to probe.

The live notes named contenders in the field — from Pidcock to Van Aert, from Healy to the young French rider Seixas — and recorded mechanicals and withdrawals that altered the shape of the peloton. Luca Paletti of Bardiani left the race, and riders including Kim Heiduk of Ineos Grenadiers and Robbe Dohndt of Picnic PostNL were signalled as retired, likely after an early crash. Visma-Lease a Bike’s Kielich tried to lengthen the move on the third dirt sector; the group chased, the UAE men pulled on the front, and tension rose as the race approached decisive sectors.

What are teams doing in response and who is acting?

UAE Team Emirates is responding to the race challenge with preparation off the bike as much as on it. Prieto highlighted the team’s exclusive app for nutrient distribution and a regimen practiced for six to seven years so riders know exact amounts to eat and when. The director sportif plays a role in-race by reminding riders over the radio to stick to the plan. On the road, teams alternated between protecting leaders and sending riders into the break; on the nutrition side, Enervit products provided a common base while individual targets dictated use.

That blend of meticulous feeding and tactical vigilance framed the contest: the human effort of topping up glycogen and the raw arithmetic of a one-and-a-half-minute gap on gravel are twin realities that decide classics like this.

The race closed without a neat answer to one persistent narrative: the fourth Strade Bianche has never been won by anyone yet, and while Pogacar had the spotlight and the carefully built feed plan, the nine-rider escape and the attrition that followed left the final outcome open. Back where the day began — at Colle Pinzuto, under the stone Pogacar had just unveiled — the questions remained live: could preparation and precision be enough to make history at Strade Bianche 2026?