"I'm here to win and I hope to make a big mess."with this phrase Claudio Chiappucci approached the Milan-Sanremo Part 1991, which he then won solo at the finish line on Via Roma. The decisive move by the "Diablo" came on the Turchino Pass when, taking advantage of particularly adverse weather, he caused the group to crumble on the descent. From then on the race took shape under the blows of ChiappucciThe rider from Uboldo, in the province of Varese, He had just turned 28 and was on the verge of exploding to the highest levels, after finishing second in the previous year's Tour de France.
“My statement,” Chiappucci tells us as soon as we reach him on the phone, “wasn’t thrown out there at random. I was coming from a period of excellent form, confirmed by the Setmana Catalana where I won two stagesI hadn't gone to race the Tirreno and Paris-Nice because the weather was too uncertain. I felt good, even though the Sanremo was a difficult race for a rider with my characteristics.A path that doesn't offer many ideas to attack and not many chances, sometimes you only have one."
From afar
Chiappucci's feat seemed very timely to us, even though 34 years have passed since that March 23, 1991. The Lombard climber won with a courageous move with over 100 kilometres to goA situation that also finds fertile ground in the current dynamics, with a climber of Pogacar's caliber who over the years has tried to surprise riders with different characteristics.
«I remember – he continues Chiappucci – that my desire to win was tied to the desire to overturn the odds that didn't see me among the favorites. I too, like Pogacar on Saturday, I had around me fierce opponents with the characteristics of true Classic menThe difficulty for a rider like me was double: I had to not miss the moment and at the same time find the right one. Pogacar must do the same and in the last two editions we have seen how he has changed his strategyThe first year he had attacked at the top of the Poggio. In the last edition he had started to make the team work right from the start. Cipressa».
As in 1991, bad weather is forecast on the roads of Sanremo on Saturday…
It was a determining factor in my victory. The rain had made the descent of the Turchino treacherous and together with my team we had made a great selection. Bad weather can be a double-edged sword for Pogacar, because he too is not immune to falls. We saw it at the Tour two years ago and at the recent Strade Bianche.
Do you think it might have stuck in his head?
I don't know, it depends on how he reacts. I've fallen, but I came back stronger. For him, it's a question mark.
The victory at Strade Bianche, despite the crash, was a clear message to his opponents…
He showed that he's the strongest, because a victory like that leaves only one message to the others: that there's no one left to beat. It often happens that when he attacks, others don't follow him., if we then consider the clear superiority he also showed at the Strade Bianche. I don't know about you, but when he attacks, it seems like the group is thinking about backup positions.
At the World Championships it went like this, an attack 100 kilometers from the finish and it was never seen again.
Few reacted. Pogacar has a impressive progression and when the others naturally drop he maintains very high watts. Going back to the previous discussion, this could be a tactical solution in his favor.
Explain to us…
Pogacar understood that attacking at the top of the Poggio does not allow him to make much difference, in the group there are powerful riders who can follow him on the sprint (like Van Der Poel, ed.) Others, however, can return on the descent. But if Pogacar started at the foot of the Poggio, how many would have the capacity to follow him? Judging from the world And from the Strade Bianche, I'd say no one. In that case, the descent of the Poggio wouldn't be enough to get back.
Not to mention that the team is really strong.
The strategy of making the Cipressa at high speed must not change. When his teammates shoot they make the difference and this would allow him to isolate many opponents. Then Pogacar is someone who runs on instinct, so he knows what to do during the race. If the others are left alone, he would have a clear path, and in that case, it would be difficult to stop him.
