Van der Poel ready, but are his Sanremo contenders ready too? "It seemed like Mathieu was more focused on his rivals"

Tirreno-Adriatico is also over for Mathieu van der Poel. The Dutch rider of Alpecin-Deceuninck attacked in the final stage, but INEOS Grenadiers had other plans, so he could not make a real bid for the stage victory. In the end, it was mainly about Van der Poel's reaching the finish safely.

Before the stage, he looked back on his Tirreno-Adriatico with Sporza. "I feel good, which is a victory considering the weather over the past few days. I needed this to prepare for the classics," said Van der Poel, who will ride the Milan-Sanremo on Saturday and then travel to Belgium for the cobbled classics. "Of course, it's a pity I couldn't win a stage. That was my goal, after all.

It illustrates the winner in van der Poel, who, despite all those monuments and a world championship title, was hungry for success in this Italian week. "An extra stage win in the Tirreno would not change much more to my list of achievements, but that does not alter the fact that I would have liked to win. I was also close," he said, reflecting on his efforts on days three, four, and five. On the final day, after an attack on the only climb, he took no more risks. "It was good," he said.

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Van der Poel mentions his rivals in Sanremo

Van der Poel's ability to predict the race was demonstrated at the finish of stage 7. Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step) and Jasper Stuyven (Lidl-Trek) crashed to the ground, and suddenly, there were serious question marks behind the two Milan-Sanremo outsiders. Van der Poel finished in the peloton and will be in top form for the Via Roma on March 22. "I think I found the extra percent I was looking for here. Now, it's mainly a matter of resting and giving myself a challenge now and then in training. I feel ready for what's to come."

The Tirreno-Adriatico also provided important insights about who he will have to keep an eye on in Milan-Sanremo. Van der Poel did not find that question difficult. "The riders who were in the picture. In this Tirreno, it was mostly Filippo Ganna. He has already proven that he is a candidate to win. Mads Pedersen is also doing well in Paris-Nice. And then there is Tadej Pogacar, who is still at home," MVDP had done his homework well.

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INEOS Grenadiers saw Ganna dominating in his own country

With Van der Poel's statements in his pocket, IDLProCycling.com went to the buses of the contenders for Milan-Sanremo after the last Tirreno stage. First, Ganna, who won the time trial by a considerable margin on day one and wore the blue leader's jersey on six of the seven days. He climbed so well on the second-to-last day that he still made it onto the final podium, even second, thanks to bonus seconds on day 7. INEOS team leader Zak Dempster saw that it was good. "If we had said this before Tirreno, everyone would have considered it an impressive result. We are proud of Filippo."

According to Dempster, Ganna had done well in GC races before, but the Italian would survive an 8-kilometer climb at over 8 percent on Saturday... "This was on difficult terrain, in one of the toughest races in the world. We knew that Filippo was in a good position, and we had prepared well over the winter. The team around him worked hard with him in the Canary Islands, which is the result he deserves. Now it's a matter of recovering for Milan-Sanremo. These efforts will help him there, so rest, explore, and then rock and roll!"

That they are ready at INEOS was evident from Dempster's remark when Van der Poel was brought up. "We could clearly see that Van der Poel is nervous, that's for sure. At times, it seemed as if he was more concerned with his rivals than with his race. But that's the competitiveness this sport needs. On the other hand, Mathieu already knows how to win Milan-Sanremo, and we hope to prove that on Saturday as well."

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Pidcock can stay in shape for another week, according to his coach

Van der Poel forgot one other rider besides Ganna, Pedersen, and Pogacar, but Tom Pidcock also has a shot at victory on Saturday, March 22. The British rider of Q36.5 has been in excellent form this season, and according to his coach, Kurt Bogaerts, he can keep it up for another week. "We are now going to try to shift our focus to Sanremo and try to have a good week. With this fitness level, we want a good race there and then move on to the Ardennes," says the Belgian.

Unlike Ganna or Van der Poel, Pidcock has not spent his entire spring preparing for Milan-Sanremo. "I don't think anyone focuses everything on this race; that wouldn't be smart. We have already shown some great things, and for Sanremo, you have to be in tip-top shape and well-prepared. Every time you ride it, you get a better feel for the rhythm of the peloton. Tom must try to ride a good race, and hopefully, he can win it one day. It is not an easy race."

"We are prepared for different scenarios," warned Bogaerts, because Pidcock climbs better than ever, has been descending like a pro for years, and seems to have the stamina to follow the best in the world. "There are going to be a lot of them, many excellent guys. In the Tirreno, we saw on Saturday towards the final climb that almost no one was dropped, even though they were riding hard. But the better shape they are in, the harder the final will be."  

Bram van der Ploeg (Twitter: @BvdPloegg | e-mail: [email protected])  

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