A few days and it will finally be Strade Bianche, the classic of the north… further south. And speaking of classics, each has its own symbolic, often decisive, stage: the Poggio for the Sanremo, the Arenberg Forest for the Roubaix, the Kwaremont for the Tour of Flanders, the Cauberg for the Amstel and so on. At the Strade Bianche this passage is Monte Sante Marie, This year, sector eight, located 71 kilometers from the finish. Its stats: 11,5 kilometers (4,5 of them uphill), a maximum gradient of 18 percent, and a very, very tough descent.
We're talking about Monte Sante Marie with the only Italian who has managed to win the Strade Bianche so far, Moreno MoserThe Trentino achieved this feat in 2013. Today Moreno is an astute commentator and opinion maker on cycling, and with him we offer a technical and tactical analysis of this sector.
Moreno, so Monte Sante Marie is the decisive point of the race?
Yes, or rather: it depends. It depends on how the race is interpreted. With certain riders like pogacar it certainly is. In some years, like when I won it, it wasn't such a crucial aspect. But I realize that when I was racing, there was a lot more wait-and-see attitude. Sante Marie was the moment when the group split up a bit, but the race wasn't decided yet. Today, at 80 kilometers from the finish, you must already be practically in final mode.
If we made a comparison with the Flemish walls: is it the Kwaremont of the Tour of Flanders?
Yup, It is from a technical point of view, because it is actually the hardest, the longest and it is the one where, if one wants, one can make a selection. Even when I was running, people used to say that the race started at Sante Marie. Now it risks being the point where the race ends... Although perhaps from an emotional standpoint and because of its proximity to the finish line, the Tolfe sector is more engaging. It's the Cauberg of the Amstel!
How do you approach and manage the Monte Sante Marie sector? Bring us on your bike…
Ah – he smiles – it's not manageable, if they go full speed ahead you have to stay behind the one who goes full speed ahead. When you start Sante Marie, your heart rate is already high from the fight for position. The first year I did the Strade, I was behind, and I had a crash that knocked me out. Yet, that's when I realized I liked the race. The first section is tough, you mostly have to sit down, unless the ground is in excellent condition, perhaps a little compacted from the rain. Downhill, then steep climb.
When people think of Monte Sante Marie, everyone thinks of the final climb, but in reality there's a descent that's anything but trivial. In fact, last year the Slovenian ace made his debut right there. What do you think of this descent?
That downhill stretch is really tough. It is one of the dirt track points where the highest speeds are reached. You have to let it flow. It takes skill and also great determination! In recent years, however, riders have become much more accustomed to riding on dirt. When I was racing, there were people who didn't even know where they were when they entered the dirt. Today, those in front know how to ride.
Now you will be criticized!
Sure, a lot of people tell me, "Ah, we used to drive better." I don't think so; a lot of people know how to drive these days. If we think about the strong riders of recent years, apart from Evenepoel who has improved, the others are all phenomenal even in riding the bike. Pidcock, Pogacar, not to mention Van Aert and Van der Poel: people who know what to do.
And how does Sante Marie approach it tactically?
Especially on the first climb, it depends a lot on how many riders are in the leading group and how the race has gone up to that point. Cycling has a lot of variables and the way the race goes affects everything.If 20 of them show up, it's one thing; if there's a breakaway that can reach the finish, it's another. If, on the other hand, it's a predictable breakaway and the group is compact, maybe there's no real attack, just the team setting the pace. Or maybe Pogacar creates a gap... after the team's push. And he goes away after the first climb, on the descent.
You were telling us about the importance of letting the bike slide downhill. There's a little bridge at the bottom, and then you immediately start climbing. It's what's known in slang as "flushing." You have to shift from the large chainring to the small one... Could this be a tricky moment?
Yes, because immediately after the descent there is another surge. You have to be clear-headed to change gear at the right timeOn dirt roads, the chain can pop, and if you're struggling, you can make mistakes. If we look at the riders who are fresh and alert, mechanical problems are unlikely to occur. But when you're at the limit, you hit the button at random and the chain can take a whip and go down. Of course, there's a need to change, because then the gradients change dramatically.
While the slight slope after the steep climb after the Borgo di Sante Marie isn't so decisive: why?
It's hard to say, but probably today we go faster on the hard sections and therefore it's easier to make selections earlier. Runners sit much more because it has been seen that pedaling is more efficient. As compared to pantani who used to run miles standing, today it has been seen that he wastes less energy sitting down. Moreover, some calculations have shown that he was significantly less aerodynamically efficient.
Clear…
It's hard to find today a pure climber who jumps a lot on the pedals like Simoni. But I can't say exactly why there's less selection on that slight slope. In the years I was racing, after Monte Sante Marie, there were still many of us. Maybe there was an attack, but there were still small groups of 15 riders. Today, and we return to what we were talking about earlier, the race has already stabilized.
Moreno, what is your “photo” of Monte Sante Marie?
My photo is also a real photo. It dates back to the year I won, and that shot shows me practically with my mouth closed as I climbed alongside Sagan and in front of Cancellara. And to think I'd entered the sector in fortieth place. But with three pedal strokes to the side of the road, I was ahead with Peter (Sagan), Van Avermaet, and the other top riders. It stuck with me because I felt incredibly strong.
You and only you know the feelings you had in that precise moment…
And in fact, I began to think to myself: "Well... Maybe, but I don't have any trouble here." I remember that it happened to me often in those years. As a new pro one day with naive impudence I said to Alan (marangoni, ed.) that I never felt pain in my legs. Yes, I felt it at the end, but it was the bad leg pain, the kind you get when you're going fast and you're playing hard. The kind that pushes you to give even more.
