Davide Formolo (UAE Team Emirates) said that while he was disappointed to miss out on victory in his home race, Strade Bianche, he suffered from the nearly 40°C heat wave.

Italian champion Formolo was unable to close the gap to the Belgian, who attacked on the Le Torfe section of the Stellato, 12 km from Siena, but he fought for second place with Max Schachmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) in the Campo square in Siena. He won the race.

"For me [second place] is a very good result and on my home road. My legs felt really good. I just came back from the high altitude training camp yesterday, so I struggled with the heat," said Formolo.

Formolo arrived the day before Strade Bianche to resume the World Tour in Tuscany. He said he was pleased with how the race unfolded, even though the summer heat affected his performance.

Formolo was part of a breakaway group that included Van Aert, Max Schachmann (Bora-Hansgrohe), Jakob Fuglsang (Astana), Alberto Betiol (EF Pro Cycling), and Greg Van Avermaat (CCC Team).

Van Avermaet attacked on the final gravel section, Le Torfaet, and Schachmann and Formolo tried to chase, but were unable to close the gap and Van Avermaet crossed the finish line with a 30 second advantage to take the win.

While the Belgians celebrated on the downhill to the empty Campo Square, Formolo and Schachmann raced up the steep gradient to Siena, with Formolo finishing second on the day.

"It was a great race," said Schachmann. It's always great to race at Strade Bianche. I'm a little disappointed to have missed out on a beautiful victory, but second place is a good result anyway and a good end to a good week for the team."

Formolo's next race is Milan-San Remo on August 8. Organizer RCS Sport was recently forced to switch to a more inland parcours after coastal towns refused to allow it, believing that it would be impossible to safely close their roads to host the race during the peak holiday season.

"We are now looking at Milan-San Remo, a different style of parkour, but we want to do our best," Formolo said.