“Bianco” means White, as the dust of the roads around Siena, those on which the Classics season opens every year in March. And it was in conjunction with this race that an extraordinary adventure materialized.
A three-day-long adventure designed by 3T to tell the story of its Strada Italia high-performance road bike in the best and most effective way. The idea is as simple as it is unique: to witness the birth of the bike we will pedal, to observe live and in a privileged position Pogi and companions in action and, finally, to pedal our own bike on those same roads made special by the exploits of champions.
Strada Italia, conceived and born in Italy
As its name tells us, Strada Italia is built entirely in house by 3T in Presezzo, in the province of Bergamo, and we have written an exhaustive article on how it takes shape and comes to life, explaining each stage of the production process.
(Read our article on how 3T Strada Italia is built)
Dream and reality
From Presezzo to Siena, as the kilometers flow under the wheels of the car the dream takes more and more shape and its boundaries acquire the definition that belongs to reality. Our base is in an extraordinary structure that rises at the top of the climb of Le Tolfe, the last effort on a dirt surface that the athletes must run twice, in a sort of micro circuit that preludes the nosedive on Siena. Our vantage point, which puts us inches from the race, is on the last hairpin bend of the climb, about ten meters from the top of the hill. It is from there that we see, first, the girls’ race and then the men’s. Madonna how they push, they are scary. They pass in a competitive trance, eyes wide, fixed on the road and mouths open, like fish out of water, searching for that oxygen that fills the lungs and gets the legs moving. A spectacle that lasts a few minutes on the first pass and a little longer on the second, when the climbs have stretched the peloton even further. And as the runners dart past us (yes, they’re uphill, but they dart anyway…) the eye tries to recognize them and associate jerseys with faces. Harder with the girls, very easy with the boys, partly because Pogacar and Pidcock are ahead of everyone. And the second time, after witnessing on the monitors, live, his slide, Tadej passes in solitary with his leotard and skin ragged. Maybe the time, maybe the place, but never in my life as a race spectator have I experienced such a strong emotion. Or maybe it’s because tomorrow, on those same roads we will be pedaling….
It’s our turn
Not only do we have the privilege of participating in the Strade Bianche, but we also start in the front rows. Which means we have to get to the grid on time (i.e., very early) and that the first kilometers will be worse than a tuna fishery. There are seven kilometers from the Tolfe to the start arch, almost all downhill. It is cold but, fortunately, there is no breakfast in the stomach because the alarm went off before the kitchen opened. This condition reinforces the running tactic of a relaxed pace and stopping at every refreshment stop. As expected, the first ten kilometers are a pitched battle, with hordes of exalted (most incapable of setting up and leading a curve, imagine a traffic circle…) trying to gain “invaluable” positions by shoving themselves everywhere and shouting expletives.
Once the storm has passed we can begin to enjoy the road and the scenery, some of which are friends, having ridden the Nova Eroica a few times. The weather improves, the sky lets through a few rays of sunshine, and the air warms up, as the legs have done for a while now.
Sitting on a bike like the Strada Italia, which does not go unnoticed, helps socialize and forge travel bonds. The chats are usually ephemeral, however, because after a few kilometers their respective paces dissolve these brief friendships. But the 135 that lead to Siena are many and are enough to paint a picture of the varied humanity (the normal kind, like me) that experiences events like the Strade Bianche. The nicest are two friends from Abruzzo, one of whom ran out of legs with minus 30 to go and the other trying to charge it up by playing the motivational playlist, created and uploaded in advance, through a micro wifi speaker attached to the handlebars. I never knew if they made it within the time limit….
Epilogue
For us amateurs, no circuit. So the dirt climbs of Colle Pinzuto and Le Tolfe are only ridden once. A scant 30 kilometers from the finish, I recognize the descent on which Pogacar fell the day before. The ralenty of the slide has been broadcast dozens of times on the tele and I have it well imprinted in my brain. Instinctively I still slow down the already low speed and wonder how they could go down so fast on that tremendously treacherous, slippery and hard as a bocce court. I reach the hairpin bend of the patatrac and on the ground there are still, evident, the marks of Tadej’s long slide, going straight into the meadow beyond the road. It makes a bit of an impression on me, what a strange feeling….
But it is short-lived, because shortly afterwards the last two dirt climbs begin. Some people do them on foot, an extra incentive to grit my teeth and push on from a seated, steady, tear-free pace. I have managed myself well during the ride and eaten properly, so I climb both Colle Pinzuto and Le Tolfe without too much trouble, with the knowledge that I am standing firm as a milestone, compared to the supermen and superwomen I admired yesterday on that same stretch. At the top, some fan who had already foreseen everything, painted a portrait of Pogacar on the road with the words “POGI THREE”… On the descent to Siena I catch up with two Brits, they have a similar pace to mine, and I pull in to rest a bit. It’s been a while since I’ve pedaled that many kilometers and I feel I have cramp lurking, so I allow myself to suck in some wheel and preserve the last of my energy for the bogey of Santa Caterina. The signs marking every kilometer from minus five to Fontebranda are both a liberation and a cautionary tale. When you get under it and see it there in front, it feels like a wall and you wonder how champions use it as a launching pad to glory, when for me it has more the appearance of a way of the cross. But so be it, thanks to the applause of that audience that has not yet tired of waiting for us and a bit of zig-zagging (not very honorable, but appropriate), I reach the top dodging cramps and a few “pins.” The few hundred meters that come next I do them with a smile on my face, and as I round the last bend and Piazza del Campo opens before me, even the fatigue passes. I pedal under the banner, in the presence of the Doge’s Palace and watch the amphitheater of old buildings embrace me. Welcoming me are the guys from the organization, holding bouquets of medals. They approach smiling and one of them slips one around my neck. Soon after I hear my name called, it’s Carlo from 3T. He says, “Hey, I almost didn’t recognize you-I was looking for someone with a destroyed face, but you’re fresh!” then invites me to sit down and have something to eat at the booth they set up for us in the middle of the square. My fellow adventurers have already arrived, some for a few minutes, some for two hours. I sit down, look around with medal in hand, and watch the eyes of those who cross the finish line. Full of emotion, like mine.
3T Strada Italia, riding impressions
As they say, “a pleasant surprise…” Lo and behold, riding the Strada Italia on the Strade Bianche was not only a lot of fun, but also very satisfying. Mounted with tires with a generous section of 32 mm (if you want, you can also mount 34 mm on it), in tubeless configuration and with unsuspectedly low pressures, it proved to be extremely effective, which translated into riding sensations means comfortable and very fast. It climbs well on uphills and descends stably and confidently even on fast dirt roads, responds promptly to stress and immediately puts you at ease, right from the first few meters. Perhaps it was the inspiration conveyed by Pogacar the previous day or the performance boost or the stimulus of the group, the fact is that climbing the Tolfe, first, and Santa Caterina, then, without cramping and finally conquering Piazza del Campo with heart and lungs still in place, was an unexpected result. A pleasant surprise.
Although the 135 km and 2,300 meters of elevation gain of the Strade Bianche can be considered a complete and reliable test, we will soon have the chance to get back in the saddle at Strada Italia for a longer and more structured test. Stay tuned…
