Tom Pidcock rewarded for bold move as he clinches Strade Bianche crown in Siena

The Olympic mountain bike champion justified his decision not to defend his world cyclo-cross title last month as he recorded a result which will stand alongside his Tour de France stage win on the Alpe d’Huez last year.

Pidcock became the first British winner of the men’s edition of this race over the beautiful white gravel roads of Tuscany – but the second champion from Yorkshire after Lizzie Deignan won the women’s race in 2016.

The 23-year-old made his move on the difficult Monte Sante Marie gravel sector with 51 kilometres of the 184 remaining, charging away to join early escapees Sven Bystrom and Alessandro De Marchi.

The Ineos Grenadiers man then rode away alone with 30km to go as he used his cyclo-cross skills to survive some sketchy moments on the gravel descents.

A chasing group came back and looked set to make the catch on the approach to Siena, getting within seven seconds.

But there was little cohesion as Jumbo-Visma team-mates Tiesj Benoot and Attila Valter appeared to bicker, and Pidcock began the final steep climb to the Piazza del Campo with 30 seconds in hand and victory his.

“It’s going to take some sinking in,” Pidcock said. “When I went, that was completely not the plan. But that sector is a decisive place, so I was just riding hard, I got a gap on the descent and just carried on.

“This week I had the feeling something good was going to happen, I kind of knew today was my day and that it actually paid off is pretty incredible.

“A few times they came close and I thought I’d messed it up, gone too early and wasted my shot but it was fast all day so I knew if I got a gap it was going to be hard to bring it back.”