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

Many consider Milan-Sanremo to be the most challenging race to win. We saw proof of this on Saturday when Tadej Pogacar did everything he could to win on the Via Roma. But Mathieu van der Poel was strong enough to follow and defeat him in the sprint. And that means three in a row for Alpecin-Deceuninck, who have truly made history in La Primavera.

For the Roodhooft brothers, Van der Poel's victory is even more special because Milan-Sanremo is their absolute dream race. "Why is this our dream race? A combination of the sporting importance, the suspense, the country, springtime... And, of course, we are winning it for the third time now, which is very special," Philip Roodhooft told Sporza. His team is highly dominant in Milan-Sanremo, the Tour of Flanders, and Paris-Roubaix: since 2022, they have won 7 of the 9 Monuments.

The Belgian team manager knows the team has achieved something special over the past three years. 'It is the most difficult race to win, yet we could still look forward to it confidently. "We started our season quite late again, finishing both Tirreno and Paris-Nice without a sprinter, but it has gotten off to a good start. Jasper's (Philipsen, ed.) crash was a bit of a bummer, but we can be delighted with this. But... we're not completely satisfied yet."

Read more below the photo!

Jasper Philipsen was out of contention for title prolongation due to his crash in Nokere Koerse.

Epic team performance

Many were surprised that Pogacar would shake things up early, but Alpecin-Deceuninck was perfectly prepared. "What was our plan? It was no surprise that Pogacar would go on the Cipressa and try to make things difficult for Mathieu in the finale, but we did a great job of never having to go on the defensive." Alpecin-Deceuninck had a lot of work to do, but that was to be expected. "We came here with the previous two winners, so, logically, they keep an eye on you. But anyway, we fulfilled that role brilliantly."

Roodhooft emphasizes the power of the collective. Defending champion Jasper Philipsen was not at his best after his crash in Nokere Koerse, which put him in a domestique role. But Kaden Groves, who finished fifth, also played his part. "Internally, there was a feeling that he, too, could make a difference today, which proved to be the case. Everyone did a great job as a team. We have known for a long time that Mathieu is an exceptional athlete. But the ultimate reward is that we were also the best team in the race."

Read more below the photo!

Van der Poel dealt with Filippo Ganna and Tadej Pogacar in the sprint.

Third Sanremo victory is the most beautiful one for Roodhooft

So there weren't many surprises for Alpecin-Deceuninck in Milan-Sanremo, but the way the sprint went was still remarkable for Roodhooft. "I did find that surprising, yes. It often comes down to centimeters at the finish line, but Pogacar suddenly opened up a ten-meter gap. And then they also slowed the pace down enormously, which benefited Mathieu's explosiveness. That Mathieu himself went at 300 meters was hardly a surprise. He must have realized he could hold on until then."

Mathieu van der Poel ranked this victory among his three most beautiful victories. "But I still rank it number one," Roodhooft glows. "A trilogy in Milan-Sanremo with two different riders can get the top spot, as far as I'm concerned. We can be proud of this. My brother and I must realize we are accomplishing something special in Belgian cycling, even if we sometimes get too caught up in the day-to-day work.2

Read also

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

After Pogacar show, Ayuso takes the spotlight again, but not against Vingegaard: "Stop with the comparison"

🎥 Summary Milan-Sanremo 2025: Van der Poel, Pogacar and Ganna make it the best 'La Primavera' ever

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Get every week the latest news about CYCLING in your inbox!

Subscribe