SAN REMO, Italy — Despite adopting a new strategy, Tadej Pogacar did not manage to claim victory at the Milan-San Remo cycling race this year. In a strategic shift, Pogacar initiated his attack earlier than usual on the second-to-last climb, the Cipressa, but Mathieu van der Poel matched the Slovenian champion’s efforts every step of the way. Ultimately, Van der Poel triumphed in a thrilling three-man sprint, which also featured Filippo Ganna.
“His attempts were all out,” Van der Poel remarked about Pogacar, the current world, Tour de France, and Giro d’Italia titleholder. “His move on Cipressa was defining. It’s well-known how remarkable this was. Perhaps he was the strongest on the ascents, but I managed to hold control from behind.” This win marked Van der Poel’s second in this prestigious race, having previously secured victory in the season’s initial “Monument” event two years earlier. His grandfather, French cyclist Raymond Poulidor, was also a victor of the Milan-San Remo back in 1961. Poulidor passed away in 2019.
Previously attempting without success to make a decisive climb on the Poggio just before the finish, Pogacar made an aggressive move half-way up the Cipressa with 25 kilometers left in the 289-kilometer race, which commenced this year in Pavia. Only Van der Poel and Ganna were able to respond and stay with Pogacar, and the three cautiously gauged each other in the final stretch before Van der Poel launched a pivotal move.
Ganna secured second place while Pogacar had to settle for third. Van der Poel reflected, “I felt quite strong. My sprint remained potent, and I realized the others might prefer a longer sprint because my expertise is in shorter bursts. By starting my sprint at the 300-meter mark, I think I caught them off guard, but my speed was sufficient to maintain the lead.” Pogacar added, “They were simply much faster than me. I couldn’t counter them.”
Michael Matthews claimed the fourth spot, finishing 43 seconds later. “This was a race to remember,” Van der Poel commented. “It’s been a while since the crucial moment happened on the Cipressa climb. Finishing with just three of us made it unique.” Pogacar and Van der Poel broke the Cipressa climbing record of 9 minutes and 16 seconds, set in 1996 when Gabriele Colombo attacked for a solo triumph.
This victory represents the seventh Monument win for Van der Poel, with three Tour of Flanders and two Paris-Roubaix victories also to his name. The other Monuments are the Liege-Bastogne-Liege and Giro di Lombardia, events where Pogacar has had multiple successes.
Wiebes triumphs in women’s race with a spectacular sprint finish against Marianne Vos, returning to the Milan-San Remo after a 20-year hiatus. Swiss cyclist Noemi Ruegg finished third, assisted greatly by teammate Lotte Kopecky, the world champion. The women’s race took riders along a 156-kilometer route from Genoa to San Remo.