2022 Strade Bianche Winner Odds Favor Pogacar and Alaphilippe

The next big one-day race of the 2022 UCI calendar is the Strade Bianche, held on the 5th of March in Italy. Van der Poel and Van Aert will miss the race this time, but fans can still watch some of the best cyclists competing in the province of Siena. Like two-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar and the two-time world road champion, Julian Alaphilippe. Both of them are mentioned as big favorites in the 2022 Strade Bianche winner odds. 

This year’s race will cover the same route as last season, starting and finishing in Siena and covering 184km with 11 gravel sectors. The largest climb will be the route to Montalcino at 66km, but there will be smaller climbs even closer to the finish line. Some of the biggest riders have managed to win this tough race before. Like Philippe Gilbert, Michal Kwiatkowski, and Fabian Cancellara who got the victory the most (3) times. In recent years Julian Alaphilippe, Wout Van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel all managed to win here. But the Belgian and the Dutch star won’t compete this year. We can find another top rider in their place with Tadej Pogacar making another appearance here. 

Pogacar Leads the 2022 Strade Bianche Winner Odds 

Tadej Pogacar won the first UCI World Tour event of the new season, the 2022 UAE Tour for a second consecutive year. Showing he is already in great form. One-day classics might not be his strongest point, but the two-time Tour de France winner will surely aim for the victory in Italy. In 2021 he finished 7th which was his best result in this race. Now online sportsbooks in Italy offer the smallest odds, 3.98 for his victory. Pogacar has already won two other one-day events last year, the 2021 Liege-Bastogne-Liege and the 2021 Giro di Lombardia. So there is no doubt that the UAE Team Emirates rider has the capability to win in Siena too.

One of his main rivals can be the 2019 winner and last year’s runner-up, Julian Alaphilippe. The French cyclist is the reigning world road champion after he successfully defended his title of 2020. He is also one of the best Classics riders after already winning the Milan-San Remo, the Brabantse Pijl, and the La Fleche Wallonne races. Alaphilippe finished second in this year’s Tour de la Provence last month. The Quick–Step rider will be another huge favorite to win the race according to the  2022 Strade Bianche winner odds. Especially in the absence of his main opponents, Wout Van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel. Alaphilippe has the odds of 4.50 for another victory this weekend. 

Pidcock, Benoot, and Wellens Are Also Mentioned In Top Favorites

Tom Pidcock will lead the Ineos team at the race, even though a former two-time Strade Bianche winner, Michal Kwiatkowski is also a member of the team. The British cyclist is one of the biggest talents of the sport, who also competes in cyclo-cross with great results. On road, his biggest result is winning the 2021 Brabantse Pijl so far. While he also finished as a runner-up in the 2021 Amstel Gold Race.  Pidcock didn’t have the best start of the new season though after finishing only 18th in last weekend’s Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.  The 22-year-old cyclist was fifth in last year’s Strade Bianche and has the odds of 7.50 to win it now. 

Online gambling sites in Italy also mention two Belgian riders in the favorites: Tiesj Benoot and Tim Wellens. Benoot won this race in 2018 and got several more podium finishes from other one-day Classics. He will be the Jumbo-Visma team leader in the absence of Van Aert and the ability to go on a solo attack again. His odds to win the race are 14.50 on 22Bet. His countryman, Lotto-Soudal rider Wellens follows him closely with the odds of 15.00. The 30-year-old Belgian won the 2018 Brabantse Pijl while he also finished third in the 2017 Strade. This year he has already won a race in Mallorca and finished as a runner-up in the 2022 Tour des Alpes in February. Wellens missed last weekend’s event due to sickness, but he can fight for the victory now. 

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