Following on from last weekend’s Belgian semi-classic races, we’ve decamped to the utterly gorgeous and very evocative Tuscan countryside. I half-expected Russell Crowe of Gladiator fame to put in an appearance. But today the gladiators were wearing lyrca and their steeds were made of carbon. The race on the Strade Bianche was won – for the second time – in imperious fashion by Spartacus, aka Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack-Nissan), who rode away from the leading group 12 km from the finish, and quickly built a sufficient cushion as he time-trialled his way to a solo victory in the historic Piazzo del Campo in Siena.
