Lionel Birnie is joined by EF Education-Tibco rider Lizzy Banks and Edward Pickering, the editor of Rouleur magazine, to help see through the dust thrown up by Strade Bianche.

Saturday was a day when teamwork came under the microscope. In part one we examine the women’s race which was dominated by two SD Worx riders who had everything worked out except the ending. Demi Vollering seemed as surprised as anyone that her teammate Lotte Kopecky sprinted against her.

Then we turn attention to the men’s race, won in exhilarating fashion by Ineos Grenadiers rider Tom Pidcock who attacked almost 50 kilometres from home, overhauled the riders ahead of him and struck out on his own. Although his lead was barely ever more than a minute, and at one stage was down to a handful of seconds, the lack of cohesion in the chase and notably between the two Jumbo-Visma riders undoubtedly played into Pidcock’s hands.

In the final part, Lionel checks in with François Thomazeau, for an update on the opening couple of days at Paris-Nice and weighs up the brewing showdown between Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard.

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