PORTO POTENZA PICENA – For a while there were fears that the crash in the final stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico would have prevented Stuyven from racing in Sanremo. In reality, the Belgian's recovery was so sudden that it swept away any doubts.That same day he boarded the flight home, took a breather the next day, and then resumed his usual routine.
In Lidl Trek of Pedersen-Milan couple, two champions certainly to be considered among the main favourites, the only one to have won the Sanremo is him: Jasper Stuyven, 32 years old from Leuven, 1,87 m tall and 78 kg. Won in 2021 with a brilliant move at the end of the descent of the Poggio that allowed him to beat the sprinters by just a hair. The fact that few people are mentioning him doesn't seem to bother him that much, because perhaps it leaves him the room to maneuver for another surprise moveWith great honesty, he claims to be a helper, but the verb to give up is not his, as he explained to us at the start of the last stage of the Race of the Two Seas.
At Tirreno, you worked toward Milan's two victories, and on the day of the climb, you even took part in the breakaway. Do you want to break away from the peloton?
You try. You go full throttle at the start and once you have the right gap, the group slows down. At that point, you just manage the gap and of course at the end you try to accelerate, but It's always the group that decides whether you'll make it or not.These are actions that are done to escape and to do the work that is missing to reach the condition, even if for that I don't think it is necessary to go on the run. However, I think that Tirreno's week was quite useful to improve.
When you won the Sanremo in 2021, you ran the Paris-Nice. Is there any difference between the two races as you approach tomorrow's race?
The Tirreno has longer stages, while the Paris-Nice can be very intense with its gradients from the first days. But to be honest, since they end on the same day, I think they are more or less the same. Of course this year one could say that perhaps The Tirreno was better because of the weather, which was much worse at Paris-NiceBut it's hard to know in advance, so they're quite similar races.
Milan never stops thanking you for the work you do in preparing their sprints, a role you also play for Pedersen. Are there any big differences between the two?
They are slightly different sprinters and I think Jonathan is perhaps the best at the moment the fastest in the world. Both they have their qualities and their approach to the final, while I adapt to where I amWe talk about it in retreats, we know how we have to move.
You're the only one on your team to have won the Milan-Sanremo. Do you ever give advice to them or do you secretly think you could do it again?
I think they are strong enough to win on their own (laughs, ed.), but obviously I too have the hope and intention of winning againThe Sanremo is a strange race, everyone says that now. When I won, I left at the end of the descent of the Poggio and managed to get ahead of Alaphilippe, Van Aert and Van der Poel. Now we have to deal with Pogacar, who loves surprise moves.
No sprint?
In fact, in recent years, the only time it ended in a sprint was last time, with Philipsen winningIn the previous two years, only Mathieu (Van der Poel, ed.) and MohoricIn 2021 it was my turn and the year before Van Aert and Alaphilippe beat the sprinters by a hair's breadth.
So in conclusion?
I think it is it's unlikely that we'll end up with a large sprint againIf anything, there will be a small group, but above all, this year more than ever, there will be so many variables.
