These are the 5 highlights after a historic Milan-Sanremo: Will Pogacar ever win 'La Primavera'?

We are all still in awe and reliving the historic edition of Milan-Sanremo. The fantastic three-way battle between Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogacar, and Filippo Ganna will go down in the history books. There was so much to see that it was too much to digest. IDLProCycling.com listed the five most important conclusions after this amazing La Primavera.

UAE did what it promised, but it can do even better

With the failed editions of 2023 and 2024 fresh in their minds, UAE Team Emirates came to Milan-Sanremo with wicked plans. As world champion, Tadej Pogacar was eager to win the first Monument of the year finally. He could not do so on the Poggio alone, so they had to develop something new. Under the direction of Tim Wellens, they flew up the Cipressa, after which the lead-out of Jhonatan Narváez initiated the attack of the Slovenian. It was all well thought out down to the last detail, even including a recon of the descent with Niccolo Bonifazio.

But it was not enough. Pogacar went full throttle but could not lose Van der Poel. So, UAE Team Emirates will have to return to the drawing board because winning Milan-Sanremo remains a goal for Pogi. Thijs Zonneveld already stated that he was too soon left alone, which meant he had to rely on his strength. So maybe the key lies in an even stronger classics team or even double leadership because Pogacar did not succeed through brute force.

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Van der Poel not only physically but also mentally the very best in the world

That brute force is normally enough for Pogacar to make the difference, but Mathieu van der Poel is an exceptional athlete. He didn't spare his competitor the slightest bit of space. Still, in addition to being able to take on the Slovenian monster physically, he was also at the top of his game regarding his racing instinct. Van der Poel hardly put a pedal wrong, even under intense pressure from his rival. He remained composed under the pressure and knew exactly when to follow and when to take the lead.

Most riders would panic under the pressure of Pogacar, but not Van der Poel. Three, four, and five breakaways on the Poggio followed, but the Dutch rider knew precisely how to play the game. His own acceleration at the top of the final climb revealed the distribution of power in reality: the leader of Alpecin-Deceuninck had played the game perfectly, as he did at the finish. Everyone thought it would be a short sprint, but he surprised everyone with a long burst, including his competitors. Van der Poel's tactics were perfect from start to finish, and that is something Pogacar still lacks: he has yet to learn how to win a race against someone who is just as strong as he is.

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Pogacar may never win Milan-Sanremo

To get straight to the point, wherever Pogacar starts, he will immediately be one of the favorites. We have only seen a talent like the Slovenian once in cycling history, and with his hunger for success, his series of victories will become no less impressive. But the conditions for a victory in La Primavera will rarely be better for a world champion. The tailwind, the strength of his team, and his own form seemed like a successful recipe. But no matter what happened, he couldn't lose Van der Poel. And then you know it's going to be difficult.

Next year, the UAE Team Emirates team leader will undoubtedly try again. And, of course, they will try to learn from the mistakes made this year. But if the wind is slightly different, then a breakaway on the Cipressa is already impossible. And as we have seen before, the Poggio is not challenging enough to make a difference, not against winners like Van der Poel. Pogacar must add a good dose of intelligence if he ever wants to be the best in the first Monument of the year.

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Filippo Ganna deserves recognition

Of course, most attention went to Van der Poel and Pogacar. As Filippo Ganna said, Van der Poel's victory will be remembered above all others. But the extremely strong Italian underestimates himself enormously. Because among the supermen, one man kept his head above water. And it wasn't easy because he crashed about four times. But as a time trialist of yesteryear, he never panicked and rode at his own pace to close the gap: Tom Dumoulin must be proud of his former colleague.

On the Poggio, it looked like it was over because, in the first meters, he had to endure Pogacar's violence. But once again, he limited the damage, and with a fantastic descent and subsequent time trial, he managed to catch up in the final kilometer. Van der Poel beat him in the sprint, but to squeeze out such a sprint after such an effort, no one would have thought possible. If he had not been dropped, Van der Poel would have had a tough time against Ganna. It gives the peloton hope because even though the INEOS leader did not win, he showed that the cycling gods could indeed be beaten.

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Wout van Aert will have to work extremely hard

In previous years, Wout van Aert was mentioned on the same level as Pogacar and Van der Poel, but many analysts doubt whether that is still justified. Because if Van Aert had been there in La Primavera, he would have had to be in top form to have a chance, and let's be honest: we haven't seen a Van Aert in top form for a long time. Of course, the Belgian from Visma | Lease a Bike has been more unlucky than anyone else in the past year. The crash in Dwars door Vlaanderen and later in the Vuelta a España took its toll on him physically and mentally. He chose to skip Milan-Sanremo, but he will have watched the spectacle with some apprehension.

The man from Herentals will come back in the E3 Saxo Classic after an altitude training camp in Tenerife, and then it will become clear how he is doing. But he will immediately face his two biggest rivals, and the fact is that Van der Poel and Pogacar have shown things that have astonished everyone. For Van Aert, everything will have to go his way if he wants to win the second Monument of his career, whether it's the Tour of Flanders or Paris-Roubaix.

Read also

Can Van Aert handle Pogacar-Van der Poel level? Bakelants has doubts: "I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes"

Van der Poel's second Sanremo win crowns historic streak for Alpecin-Deceuninck: "We can truly be proud"

Sporza analysts see unstoppable Van der Poel: “If Pogacar wants to win the Tour of Flanders, there’s only one way”

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