SANREMO – Andrej Hauptman has just finished answering questions from a Slovenian colleague. The bus of UAE Emirates he is surrounded by fans, because despite everything the real protagonist of the Classicissima it was Pogacar, even if he didn't winHe was the one who pushed hard on the Cipressa and he was the one who attacked twice on the Poggio. The others remained hanging on, sticking close behind with the clear goal of a sprint finish.
Van der Poel he had already baptized the Philipsen paper on the Poggio, so he didn't respond to the attacks and didn't make any changes on the descent. Hauptman experienced the Sanremo from the team car and directed his team, trying to make the plan succeed. So the tone is a little subdued, even if in the words there is the awareness of having done the maximum.
What was the plan?
Winning the Sanremo (smiles, ed.). Just kidding! No, the plan was to go up the Cipressa as fast as possible, full throttle. Del Toro he did a great job, but it wasn't enoughTadej tried hard, even at the finish he made a truly incredible effort and in the sprint he placed himself behind the best sprinters in the world.
On the Poggio, Tadej didn't throw like last year, at one point he got up and asked for help, but no one responded...
It's normal, you know, everyone has their own tactics. If Van der Poel knew Philipsen was close, he probably didn't move because of that.And if two of the race's biggest favorites stop, they all stop.
Was the difference on the Cipressa not enough because the race wasn't as tough as you hoped?
We knew we had to race hard to get the more tired others to the Poggio, but it wasn't an easy task. I'm sure we had a good run, even if we didn't win.But we were close, so the bitter taste is relative: we couldn't have done more. And when you do everything you can, you have to be happy with what comes.
Del Toro he had another sensational day.
Yes, the young man Del Toro He seems like an experienced rider; he's always there when needed. I'm sure he'll have some great races and plenty of results. I think all the guys did what they had in their legs, and we should be happy about that.
Did you complete the Cipressa in 9'26", longer than you thought?
Doing it in 9 minutes would have been a bit too super. You always have to aim high, but the result is what you sawThe 9 minutes of Cipressa will eventually become like the 2-hour wall in a marathon.
Was anyone missing on Cipressa? After Del Toro you've opened up a bit...
I wonder that too. If we didn't win, something or someone was missing. We can make many observations half an hour after the race, the truth is that in the end only the one who wins has done everything perfectlyAnd Tadej tried to do his best, even to make a difference on the downhill. When you see Philipsen still there, you know you have no chance in the sprint, but you still fight until the end.
