Mathieu van der Poel, Wout Van Aert or Julian Alaphilippe – Who is the bookies’ favourite for the men’s Strade Bianche 2020?
The first Classic of the new season is here, so we look at the favourites

WorldTour racing returns this weekend with the first Classic of the new season, Strade Bianche.
The bookies have been sharing their predictions on who is likely to fight for the victory on Saturday, August 1 over the white roads of Tuscany.
Mathieu van der Poel, Julian Alaphilippe and Wout van Aert have all been tipped among the favourites to take the title in Siena, but who is the bookmakers’ favourite?
Sadly Oddschecker doesn’t list the odds for the women’s race, but Cycling Weekly dived into the men’s odds to see who is expected to compete for the win in the first WorldTour event of the new 2020 season.
Favourites to win Strade Bianche 2020
The number one favourite to take the win may not be a surprise, even if it is his first time in the race.
Mathieu van der Poel has the shortest odds off all the contenders at 43/10 as he takes on the iconic gravel paths.
The Dutch superstar was supposed to start his season at the Sibiu Tour in Romania, but his Alpecin-Fenix team pulled out on the eve of the race due to a spike of coronavirus cases.
Van der Poel will instead be joining the other favourites in riding Strade Bianche cold.
Next on the list is reigning champion Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck – Quick-Step), with odds of 5/1.
The Frenchman had a staggering 2019 season with multiple one-day victories including Milan-San Remo and a two-week spell in the yellow jersey at the Tour de France.
But the bookies are expecting Alaphilippe to be pushed hard by Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) once again.
The Dane was second in the 2019 edition, just two seconds behind Alaphilippe after a thrilling battle on the final rise into Siena.
Max Schachmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) is high among the favourites at 12/1, having won a stage and the overall at Paris-Nice right before the UCI suspended racing in March.
Zdenek Štybar (Quick-Step) is currently at 14/1, having finished in the top-10 every year since his victory in the race back in 2015.
The biggest surprise from the bookies is Wout van Aert, who finished second in Strade Bianche two years in a row.
But the Jumbo-Visma rider was out for much of 2019 after suffering a nasty leg wound during the time trial stage of the Tour de France.
>>> How to watch Strade Bianche 2020: live stream the first WorldTour race of the reset season
After the injury, Van Aert came back to finish 11th in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad earlier this year.
The bookies still only have Van Aert at 14/1.
Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) is currently at 16/1, former winner Michał Kwiatkowski (Team Ineos) is 18/1, while Greg Van Avermaet is 25/1.
Strade Bianche 2020 elite men’s (Winner – Oddschecker)
Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) Alpecin-Fenix, 43/10
Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Deceuninck – Quick-Step, 5/1
Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana, 9/1
Max Schachmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe), 12/1
Zdenek Štybar (Cze) Deceuninck – Quick-Step, 14/1
Wout van Aert (Bel) Jumbo-Visma, 14/1
Tiesj Benoot (Bel) Sunweb, 16/1
Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe, 16/1
Michał Kwiatkowski (Pol) Team Ineos, 18/1
Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz) Astana, 20/1
All odds correct at time of publication
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
Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers. Away from the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.
-
-
Tour de France 2023 route: Every stage of the 110th edition in detail
It looks like next year's race will be one for the climbers, with the Puy de Dôme returning, in 56,400 metres of climbing
By Adam Becket • Published
-
'What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger' - Michael Valgren on getting through injury and returning to racing
Danish rider lifts the lid on his long layoff, missing the Tour de France Grand Départ in Copenhagen and being inspired by Lizzie Deignan and Remco Evenepoel
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
21 things you didn’t know about Mathieu van der Poel
From his relationship with Wout van Aert to his favourite video game
By Adam Becket • Published
-
Jumbo-Visma perfect until it really mattered: Five things we learned from the men's cobbled Classic season
Tadej Pogačar should be lining up a tilt at Paris-Roubaix, Mathieu van der Poel has won almost everything he can, and Ineos Grenadiers underwhelmed
By Adam Becket • Published
-
Two days in hell: The best images from Paris-Roubaix and Paris-Roubaix Femmes
Take a look at our mega-gallery of some of the best photos from a weekend of brutal racing
By Adam Becket • Published
-
'We raced like juniors from start to finish. It was crazy' - Mathieu van der Poel on his Paris-Roubaix victory
Dutchman reflects on a 'strange' day at Paris-Roubaix, the fastest edition in history
By Tom Davidson • Published
-
Five dark horses for the men's Tour of Flanders 2023
Outside bets who could spring a surprise in 'De Ronde'
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
‘It’s not complicated, I can either follow or I can’t’ - Tom Pidcock on his Tour of Flanders chances
Strade Bianche winner believes that his performance on Sunday won't be hampered by recent lack of racing time
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
Tour of Flanders 2023: Five men and five women to watch on Sunday
Taking a closer look at the favourites ahead of this year's Ronde van Vlaanderen
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
How E3 showed us what Van Aert, Van der Poel and Pogačar need to do to win the Tour of Flanders
Wout van Aert might have won on Friday, but everything could change next Sunday
By Adam Becket • Published