We don't even have time to digest the success over Carpegna, and if we want to complete the Tyrrhenian-Adriatic, that this morning before the start of the final stage of San Benedetto del Tronto there was talk of Tadej pogacar to the Milan-Sanremo.
Will he make it? But can the Slovenian really take home the ClassicissimaIf these were the questions we asked ourselves before the start, after the finish everything was amplified. In fact, it was Pogacar himself who added fuel to the fire: “I’m aiming for Sanremo,” he said in the heat of the moment in TV interviews.
Bravo Bauhaus
And so here is the success in the sprint of Phil Bauhaus, German of the Bahrain Victorious, fades into the background. A very long sprint of his. A long, slow but inexhaustible comeback on alexander kristoff, started a bit long.
«Unfortunately – he says Valerio Piva sports director of the Intermarche Wanty Gobert Kristoff – a couple of men fell at the end and we were left exposed. Pasqualon He had to do the work of two people and he left it a little too early and was missing the last 20 meters. But these are the sprints."
«I thank the team – said the German – and also Caruso: a climber who helped me in the sprint! It's nice. I needed the right timing to start because there was wind in my face. But it went well and I added an important victory to my list of victories.
Pogacar in Sanremo
Shortly before, while the laps were passing and the riders were speeding along the San Benedetto seafront, we had also spoken about Pogacar in Sanremo with Davide Cassani, came to enjoy the show.
"You know, Sanremo isn't easy for him. It takes a lot of power. And I don't know if he can do it against very powerful riders like Van Aert. The Poggio is very fast," the former rider said.
The John Ellena, sports director of the Drone Hopper-Androni, and in this technically impartial case, he did not remain indifferent to the subject.
"Pogacar at Sanremo? Good question," Ellena pauses for a long moment. "If he succeeds, we'll have the new Cannibal, don't you agree?"
"It's fine for me. Let's look at what he did yesterday on Carpegna. In one kilometer, he gained 40 seconds on the first pursuers. This means that if they were going 15 miles an hour on that tough stretch, he was going 21 miles an hour. This is to say that it has a lot of power even for violent effort.
«Of course, Carpegna is not Poggio and Landa And the other climbers aren't Van Aert. It's a different situation. The Poggio is special. It comes after 300 kilometers. Now, this distance could be a big question mark. He has to prove whether he can go fast even after so many kilometers. He has dominated many races, but the 300 kilometre challenge remains for him."
«There are teams structured for the classics – continues Ellena – specifically designed for certain races. I'm not saying that the UAE Team Emirates it's not, but I don't think Sanremo with him was in the cards. It's an additional goal and it hasn't been planned for months.
"At Sanremo, if you arrive at a corner in sixth place, rather than fifth, you lose everything. These are small details that require a certain amount of preparation and experience. If he can do it, guys, we'll get back to having a certain amount of confidence." Eddy Merckx… but born in Slovenia."
A little kilo of gold
And what does Tadej say?
«Everyone asks me about Sanremo – Pogacar replies – It's a great race and it's a dream. It's a very long race. We have a great team and we'll do our best."
The numbers that are being reeled off on social media say that he is going stronger than last year, stronger than the performance he made on the Col de Romme at Tour de France. Tadej glosses over the matter a bit and says: "My form is similar to last year's. The numbers say I'm not far from peak condition. But improving is not easy, to do that I can lose another kilo."
And this isn't a trivial answer. A pound right now could be "gold" in terms of strength. In cycling, it's all about the thousandths and the details. That little kilo isn't just ballast, it's also a bit of extra strength. The one that should allow him to detach Wout van aert on the Poggio, who was also amazing today at the Paris-Nice.
On a lunge of 25”-40” at most, numbers in hand, the Belgian is stronger. But since we're not in a lab, but on the road, and so many other variables come into play (wind, nutrition, athlete stress, position taken on the climb, etc.), the game is wide open. So far, Tadej hasn't missed a beat.
Assault from Cipressa
And this discussion brings up the tactical question. How and where will Pogacar be able to attack? He loves to start from far away. Even in the press conference, he reiterated that he enjoys racing this way, but he certainly won't be able to move alone from Cipressa. Or at least, it's unlikely... even for him. But as always, the Slovenian can't be taken for granted.
"Maybe I can move from Cipressa, honestly it's difficult at first.", as if to say: "Of course I'll move up there." Perhaps he's aware that the Poggio might be too marked. But we'll only find out on Saturday afternoon.
Meanwhile, he's taking home his second Tirreno-Adriatico. "So far, everything's going well. I hope it continues like this."
The confidence he enjoys in the team is clearly almost boundless. The fall of Trentino at Paris-Nice and the stop of Gaviria They might have further diverted all the attention to him. Today, for example, Pascal Ackermann, another sprinter of the UAEHe didn't sprint, but he crossed the finish line close to the Slovenian. He had taken part in the sprint in the Terni section. That's a small sign. Haputman, Matxin and the other sports directors of the team Gianetti they have six days to set up “Operation Sanremo”.
And all in all, if he were to fail in the feat of leaving on the Cipressa or failing to detach the super beasts on the Poggio, no one would be able to say anything to him. The last one who won the Sanremo and a major Giro in the same year was ashlar, but we're talking about 32 years ago.
