How many times have we wondered why the Strade Bianche have a more prestigious status among the classics. It is true, it is a "young" race, born in 2007, but its charm can already compete with events that boast decades of history. The team asked the fateful question directly to the eighteen teams of the World Tour, plus the four that were invited to the Tour de France 2022 . 381 people voted, including Julian Alaphilippe , Tadej Pogacar , Wout van Aert , Vincenzo Nibali , Romain Bardet , Thibaut Pinot , Arnaud Démare , Geraint Thomas , Chris Froome , Tom Dumoulin , Philippe Gilbert , Peter Sagan , Alejandro Valverde . A true quality jury, even though it represented 60% of the complete professional group (646 riders).

"Only the Bahrain-Victorious team refused to participate - writes Alexandre Roos - without anyone really understanding why".  

Well, the outcome of the survey is overwhelming. There is no doubt. The Strade Bianche won with 53.5% of the votes, Amstel and Clásica San Sebastián are behind at 5.8%, Ghent-Wevelgem at 3.7%, Paris-Tours at 1.3%.  

The other data are also interesting. 29.7% of the riders consulted have Roubaix as their favorite race, 25% Flanders, 19.6% Liège, 14.2% Lombardy and 11.5% Sanremo. What makes a ride special? According to 35.2% its notoriety and its reputation, for 26.8% the difficulty of the track, for 21.8% its history and its seniority, for 12% its length.  

Divided by nationality: Roubaix is preferred by the French (33%), the Dutch (46%) and the British (47%), Flanders by the Belgians (42%), Lombardy by the Italians (36%) and Colombians (54%).

A discordant voice is that of Philippe Gilbert , the Belgian who won the Strade Bianche in 2011. He says that there are historical hierarchies and he sees no reason to change them, just as he does not understand why the organizers bring the races to every type of route. . He asks that there are limits. «In Valence, in February - he says - there was a stone wall with a slope of 25%, I don't see the sense of it. How to finish the Planche des Belles Filles on gravel, it's a show, but hey ... It can be said it's for the show, but you should ask those who have fallen, I think feeling like pieces of stone under the skin is not pleasant. It's nice, but there are consequences ».

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