Mathieu van der Poel won Milan-San Remo on Saturday to claim the cycling season’s opening “Monument” race for the second time, denying Tadej Pogacar in a gripping finale on the Italian Riviera.
Dutchman Van der Poel edged a three-man battle with Slovene superstar Pogacar and local hope Filippo Ganna that came down to the final few hundred metres after 289 kilometres of racing which began in soaking, wintry Pavia and ended under Mediterranean sun on San Remo’s Via Roma.
Van der Poel snapped a 17-year run of different winners by adding to his success in the seaside town two years ago, when he also saw off Pogacar and Ganna — as well as Wout Van Aert.
The 30-year-old stayed with Pogacar as the world champion repeatedly tried to go it alone, and he then launched a long sprint before crossing the line triumphant and clutching his head with emotion.
“Tadej is everybody’s rival. If you can beat him you’re close to victory nowadays,” Van der Poel told reporters.
“I’m happy to race against him and especially if you beat him it’s quite special.”
In winning his seventh Monument race, Alpecin–Deceuninck rider Van der Poel stopped Pogacar becoming the first man to win Milan-San Remo as reigning world champion since Giuseppe Saronni in 1983.
Pogacar finished third and was again frustrated at the “Classicissima”, one of two Monuments along with Paris-Roubaix he is yet to win in his otherwise success-packed career.
“I tried but he (Van der Poel) was just so strong today. I need to be satisfied with the third but we come next year for more,” said Pogacar.
“We gave it our all, and one year it needs to go.”
Pogacar is expected to race Paris-Roubaix for the first time in his career this year and Van der Poel, who has won the last two editions, expects him to be a contender.
“He showed in the Tour de France stage (fifth stage, in 2022) how good he is on the cobbles so for sure he is capable of winning it,” said Van der Poel.
“It won’t be easy but it is never easy.”
Van der Poel triumphs
Ganna, who finished second as he did when Van der Poel won here in 2023, again came close to becoming the first Italian winner since Vincenzo Nibali seven years ago.
“In front of me I had the world champion and someone who has won more classics than I have fingers on my hand,” Ganna told broadcaster Rai.
“My only mistake was to wait for Van der Poel to go as I couldn’t do any more.”
The peloton began to reel in the traditional early breakaway group, which featured a clutch of Italians, on the approach to the short Capo Mele climb, which with 51km remaining announces the final stages of a long day of racing.
That leading group began to break up on the Capo Berta, the third and final of the three Capo climbs which proceed the Cipressa and Poggio ascents where the race is often decided.
Pogacar put himself in position at the tip of the peloton behind teammate Jhonatan Narvaez at the bottom of the Cipressa, and made his first attack halfway up the climb, closely followed by Van der Poel and Ganna.
That aggressive move left it up to the leading trio to contend the finale, jostling for supremacy as they built a gap of a minute on the peloton.
Pogacar attacked again at the start of the final Poggio climb, but Van der Poel stuck on his wheel as Ganna bravely stayed with the pair after looking like being dropped.
Ganna was back in contention in the final kilometre but Van der Poel had the situation under control. Once he made his move the game was up.
