Lionel Birnie, Rob Hatch and Brian Nygaard recap Strade Bianche, where Tadej Pogačar recovered from a crash, picked himself up from the adjacent field and still managed to see off a spirited challenge from Tom Pidcock.

We ask whether Pidcock should have waited – and whether, indeed, waiting was what he did – and discuss what the rest of the peloton can do to stop Pogačar when he’s in such irrepressible mood.

With the peloton split between two week-long stage races, Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico, this week we keep an eye on the likely storylines, including an aggressive start to the Race to the Sun.

The Cycling Podcast is proudly sponsored by Sports Tours International. Whether you want to ride, or watch the best in the world in action, Sports Tours International can take you to the heart of some of the world’s biggest cycling events. Choose from a VIP experience at the Tour de France or one of the major classics, or riding events such as the Etape du Tour or Marmotte, you can travel in style with Sports Tours International.

Go to the Tour de France Grand Départ in Lille, or see the race in the Alps, Pyrenees or on Mont Ventoux with one of Sports Tours International’s package trips. Alternatively, enjoy a VIP experience in Paris, or even a once-in-a-lifetime journey in an official Tour de France vehicle, getting you as close to the action as possible.

Let Sports Tours International take charge of all the planning and logistics so all you have to do is enjoy the ride.

Go to sportstoursinternational.co.uk for full details.

Get NordVPN two-year plan + four months extra ➼ https://nordvpn.com/tcp It’s risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee.

Cozze, by Amaraterra, has been the theme tune for our Giro d’Italia coverage since we began daily coverage in 2016. They are playing live at Brixton Jamm on Saturday, March 15 and would like as many podcast listeners to join them. You can buy tickets here.

Friend of the Podcast Charlotte Elton is raising money to pay tribute to our friend and co-founder Richard Moore at Gent-Wevelgem by painting his name on the road. She’s crowdfunding to pay for the paint and any additional funds will be donated to Sir Chris Hoy’s Tour de 4 charity. You can donate to the cause here.

Twitter @cycling_podcast

Instagram @thecyclingpodcast

Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to new special episodes every month plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes.

Friends of the Podcast can join the discussion at our new virtual pub, The Cannibal & Badger. A friendly forum to talk about cycling and the podcast. Log in to your Friends of the Podcast account to join in.

Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it’s after 11am).

The Cycling Podcast is on Strava