Michal Kwiatkowski (Team Ineos) heads to Strade Bianche this week looking for his third win at the Italian World Tour event after climbing to the top of the podium in Siena in 2017 and 2014. The race is usually held in March, when it is cooler and wetter, but this year it has been postponed due to a coronavirus outbreak and will now take place on August 1. The former road race world champion says the hot, dry weather makes the gravel sections "super dangerous."

"From what I saw on today's ride [reconfirming the last 75km], the gravel sections are just loose compared to the race in March," Kwiatkowski said at a virtual press conference on Thursday.

"It's dusty and obviously everyone has less grip. It's not like racing on ice; it doesn't grip as much in March, but nothing like it does now. There's a lot of little stones and dust and things like that on the surface

"It can be difficult for people who haven't experienced this race before. The dynamic of the peloton is going to be completely different, and the braking power of the bikes nowadays is nothing compared to what we used to use. It will be a super dangerous race, a risky race, but this is Strade Bianche. But this is Strade Bianche."

Kwiatkowski said there is only so much riders can do in terms of gravel-specific equipment, as the last long sector (the 11.5km sector 8 in Monte Saint Marie) is over 40km from the finish. After that, there are only three short gravel sectors and 10 km of asphalt.

"It's not like choosing a bike for a cobblestone race. You want to find a balance between comfort, safety, and bike performance. The steep final climb in Siena can be the difference between winning and losing a race. I want to have a light bike with good equipment to win the final sprint."

The 184-km Strade Bianche is on the short side for a WorldTour one-day race. But 63 kilometers of white gravel roads spanning 11 dusty sectors and several climbs, including a brutally steep one to the finish in Siena, were already a factor in March, as were debilitating cramps like those that struck Wout Van Aert in his 2018 debut race. Saturday's forecast calls for a very hot day, with temperatures rising to 37°C, and Kwiatkowski says hydration will be crucial.

"Back in March, we never raced in this kind of heat," Kwiatkowski said.

"Apart from the race fueling strategy, you also have to plan for hydration. Additional refueling, what to drink, how many bottles to drink during the race. This is quite important. The last thing you want is to get cramps at the end of the race."

It will also be a bleak awakening for many athletes in the peloton, as they have been away from competition since early March. Athletes' forms have been carefully hidden in power files that are exchanged with their coaches, rather than shown on television. But, says Kwiatkowski, "I'm ready."

"I treat everyone in front of me as a potential danger. Especially in this race, you have to stick with one rider, and you have to be really careful about your position coming into a sector [of gravel] or coming out of a sector." [Last year's winner Julien Alaphilippe (Detunink-Quickstep), Jakob Fuglsang (Astana), Greg Van Avermaat (CCC Team), and Mathieu Van Der Pol (Alpecin Phoenix). He'll be there, and as far as I can see, can do whatever he likes.

"You need luck in this race, but if you get it and have the strength at the end, the stronger rider wins," Kwiatkowski continued.

"Van der Pol has already proven in the road races so far that he is the strongest in the peloton. I think he is the favorite to win."

After five months away from racing, it is difficult to predict or plan how the race will go, but Kwiatkowski said he is putting his trust in his preparation leading up to the race, which includes high altitude camps at Mount Tiede in Tenerife and Izola 2000 in France, plus time in a high altitude tent at home.

"I think I did everything possible to be better than the other racers and I believe I can beat them. We were ready to go from the first race. I think it was definitely a new situation for everybody.

"With 40km to go, everyone will know more. You will be able to see on TV who is there and who is not there. For me, it's the same thing," Kwiatkowski said. Before the race you can say anything, but the last kilometer is everything. You can say anything before the race, but the last kilometer is everything. But until then, it doesn't matter who is there."

The race was suspended in March when the COVID-19 pandemic spread across Europe. With the number of cases in Spain, Belgium, and Italy on the rise again, UCI President David Lapartiento said that while the resumption of cycling is a positive message, especially for Italy, which was hit hard by the virus earlier this year, every race is at risk of being cancelled He stated.

Kwiatkowski stressed his personal responsibility and said he had done everything he could to ensure safety.

"We're doing everything possible," he said. If I knew that everyone next to me was doing the same thing, I could be sure, but you can never be 100 percent sure."

Kwiatkowski said, "We have to be very careful. So we treat everyone we meet as a potential risk."

"I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do that, but I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do that.

Nevertheless, given that several athletes at the Vuelta a Burgos may have had direct contact with COVID-19-positive riders and were forced to abandon during the race, Kwiatkowski said he packed his suitcase in case he might get caught in quarantine.

"I only came for two races. I plan to return home after the Trittico Lombardo, but I packed my suitcase with the possibility of staying longer. If someone tests positive in the peloton, most of the racers could be shut down and quarantined. Mentally, I'm ready for a long stay in a hotel somewhere.

"I - and everyone - is doing everything possible to prove that the race is safe. Cycling should do absolutely everything it can to prove that the race can be done in a safe way. That's what the fans need, that's what we need, that's what the business side of cycling needs. It's all about how we deal with it. If everyone stays professional and does what they need to do, I think we'll be fine."

Kwiatkowski likened dealing with the coronavirus to everyday professional racing.

"You always have to be professional. You go out and race, there are gravel sections, and you risk crashing into gravel in the corners. But if you are professional and do the right thing, you think about what you can do, you slow down, you inflate your tires the right way, and you don't have to be afraid. Of course, there is always the risk of someone crashing.

"There will always be people who are not doing the right things to stay healthy and safe. He said, "But we, and the UCI, believe that everyone should remain at the same level of professionalism in terms of staying healthy. If we are doing the right thing, fear should not exist."

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