Wout Van Aert will race Strade Bianche in 2018
Extra wild card entry granted for cyclocross world champion’s Crelan team
Hoping for a head to head battle between two reigning world champions, Strade Bianche organizers have added Wout Van Aert’s Veranda’s Willems – Crelan team as a third, extra wild card team for the races 2018 edition. The idea of the Belgian, with his three consecutive cyclocross world championship titles, lining up against Peter Sagan and his historic trio of road world championships was too much for organizers to resist, leading to the addition of Van Aert’s team to the provisional start list.
Along with the pair of three-time world champions, Team Sky’s Michał Kwiatkowski will be returning to defend his 2017 victory in Siena. Kwiatkowski previously won the race in 2014, the same year the Polish rider won road world championships in Ponferrada, Spain, and the last year before Sagan started his string of world’s titles. With 63 km of gravel roads included over the race’s 184 km route, anything could happen on race day. The idea, though, of these three distinguished champions arriving together at the foot of the iconic Santa Caterina climb towards town center finish line in Siena is a dream scenario for cycling fans everywhere.
In the women’s race last year’s winner, Wlisa Longo Borghini will return to defend against the best in world. The provisional entry list includes Pauline Ferrand Prevot for Canyon // SRAM, Elizabeth Deignan, Chantal Blaak and Anna van der Breggen for Boels Dolmans among the 24 UCI Women’s teams scheduled to take the start. Each women’s team will field six riders, totallying 144, while the men race in teams of seven, for a total of 147 starters.
Along with Veranda’s Willems – Crelan, the men’s wild card entries for 2018 are Androni Giocattoli – Sidermec and Nippo – Vini Fantini – Europa Ovini, two UCI Continental level teams from Italy.
Men’s Strade Bianche race profile
Women’s 2018 Strade Biacnhe race profile
