Reigning cyclocross world champion Mathieu van der Poel is in Siena, Italy this week to prepare for Saturday’s Strade Bianche. Van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) is on the short list of favorites for the race, alongside Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-Quick Step), Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma), and Jakob Fuglsang (Astana). Unlike the other three, van der Poel has never raced the Italian classic before. In the days before the race, van der Poel and his Alpecin-Fenix teammates rode the gravel roads of Tuscany to see the course up close.
Video credit: Alpecin-Fenix