Spring Sprung in San Remo
Milan-San Remo, La primavera, spring in Italian.
Traditionally, this is a long and boring 174 miles cycling race with a short climax in the last 10 miles, on the slopes of the Poggio.
Those reaching the top of the Poggio with 10 seconds gap, have a winning chance to survive the descent and final kilometers in the streets of San Remo.
Today’s race was different and much more entertaining. It was the most exciting Milan-San Remo in years.
The fireworks started on La Cipressa with an attack by the UAE team: Tim Wellens, Jhonatan Narvaez, and finally Tadej Pogacar himself. Only Mathieu van der Poel and Filippo Ganna could follow Pogacar.
In his aggressive riding style, Pogacar unleashed a barrage of attacks on the final climb, the Poggio. Yet, he could not shake Mathieu. And at the end “big M” even countered. Ganna wasn’t far behind. It was a beautiful spectacle! The three would eventually sprint for the victory on the via Roma: 1. Mathieu, 2. Filippo, 3. Tadej.
What did I like about today’s race?
- The traditional script was torn up.
- Mathieu can give Pogacar a run for his money. It went back and forth. We’ll see different tactics in the future, including for the sprint. The outcome is not predictable. The coming races will be very interesting.
- The race is more than a battle between 2 super-cyclists. Mille Grazie Filippo.