Keeping everyone safe 'not easy' says Greg Van Avermaet, as sweltering Strade Bianche beckons
The peloton will face temperatures into the mid-thirties as Michał Kwiatkowski says the summer heat has made the gravel 'like racing on snow'

As well as having to contend with any potential teething problems of being the first WorldTour race back after the coronavirus break, the peloton at Strade Bianche will also face sweltering heat and stonier gravel than in March.
That is the estimation of CCC's Greg Van Avermaet, who's twice finished runner-up in the Italian one-day race and is once again aiming for the top placings on Saturday.
"It's gonna be super warm. The race looks a little bit different than in March, it's a little bit stonier and a little bit more gravel I think...but every rider is excited to start the season," Van Avermaet said outside his team hotel.
Having reconned the last 75km on Thursday, two-time winner Michał Kwiatkowski (Ineos) says the surface is more like "racing on snow" compared to road conditions in March, the race's normal date.
"The gravel is just looser, it's dustier. So obviously everybody's going to have less grip. I would compare it to racing on snow now.
"There are plenty of rocks, little rocks, dust, everything that's on the road. So it might be hard for someone who's never done it."
>>> Rohan Dennis dispute with Bahrain-McLaren thrown out by UCI
As for safety concerns, the Vuelta a Burgos has so far shown the return of racing is viable, but nevertheless, coronavirus anxiety will likely remain for the foreseeable.
"Yeah, I think we've tried to do [it] as well as possible," Van Avermaet says of the protocols being implemented, while a team staff member pulls a tape barrier across separating the Olympic champion from the press who are leaning in closer and closer to hear the muted Belgian.
"It's not easy because we are traveling quite a lot, it's a big peloton, it's a big bubble. I think the most important is the testing. Seeing who is positive and who is negative and hoping everything in our team can be easily managed. I think [maintaining] these kinds of conditions make it possible to restart racing, which is important for us, for the sponsors and for the whole of cycling."
Kwiatkowski is equally satisfied with the measures put in place but says the worry lingers that at any point he could come into contact with someone who is positive and unknowingly pass it on to someone else.
"Since March, or let's say the beginning of the lockdown, I have one thing in mind. Whoever I meet, they might be a potential person with coronavirus."
Both riders name each other as favourites for the race, as well as the likes of Jakob Fuglsang (Astana), Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck - Quick-Step), Wout Van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) and Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) in what is the first of many all-star casts fans can expect in quick succession during the revised calendar.
The pair are quietly assured ahead of shortened seasons and their futures up in the air. With plenty more opportunities for wins in the months ahead, the pressure may be off for now.
Kwiatkowski says he'll focus on racing while letting his agent sort out his deal for 2021, while Van Avermaet has faith in team manager Jim Ochowicz to find a new backer for CCC.
"I'm just keeping my options open," Van Avermaet said when asked about the speculation linking him to teams such as Ag2r La Mondiale and Israel Start-Up Nation. "I'm still confident in my own team finding a new sponsor. But of course, I'm also looking for other teams to go to if it's not working, especially in these times where it's not hard to find a sponsor. So I'm just waiting for some of these decisions from Och [Ochowicz] to find something and afterwards, it's not possible, of course, I will try my chances anywhere else."
Thank you for reading 10 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Hi. I'm Cycling Weekly's Weekend Editor. I like writing offbeat features and eating too much bread when working out on the road at bike races.
Before joining Cycling Weekly I worked at The Tab and I've also written for Vice, Time Out, and worked freelance for The Telegraph (I know, but I needed the money at the time so let me live).
I also worked for ITV Cycling between 2011-2018 on their Tour de France and Vuelta a España coverage. Sometimes I'd be helping the producers make the programme and other times I'd be getting the lunches. Just in case you were wondering - Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen had the same ham sandwich every day, it was great.
-
Greg Van Avermaet, Olympic champion, Roubaix winner, to retire from cycling at the end of 2023
The Belgian says he has "no regrets" as he will head out of the peloton aged 38
By Adam Becket • Published
-
Opinion: Alpe d’Huez was masterful, but Strade Bianche win was Tom Pidcock’s finest yet
The stunning victory forged in the dust of Monte Sante Marie firmly eclipsed last summer's Tour de France stage winning glory
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
'That was not the plan' - Inside Tom Pidcock's stunning solo victory at Strade Bianche
Cyclo-cross skills, strength, and a lack of cohesion in chasing group helps 23-year-old to become first British man to win
By Adam Becket • Published
-
Who will conquer the gravel? Eight riders to watch in the women's Strade Bianche
Our top eight picks to land a podium finish in the Piazza del Campo
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
Matej Mohorič considering using a dropper seatpost for Strade Bianche
The Bahrain Victorious star won Milan-San Remo in 2022 with the help of a dropper post
By Tom Thewlis • Last updated
-
Mathieu van der Poel hoping to race 'as aggressively' at Strade Bianche as 2021 victory
The 28-year-old says he has had "the perfect build-up" for Saturday's event
By Tom Davidson • Published
-
Eight riders to watch in the men's Strade Bianche 2023
Wout van Aert sits out due to illness, opening the door for a potentially new winner in the Piazza del Campo
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
Strade Bianche 2023: all you need to know about the route
All the key route info on the Tuscan classic
By Tom Thewlis • Published