SANREMO – His detractors, those who say "he always wins," will be happy. Tadej Pogacar didn't win today, but what a race he gave us? If this was one of the Milan-Sanremo more beautiful than ever, The credit goes above all to him. Incredible push on the Cipressa, the three favorites breaking away, and more momentum in the teeth. Fabulous.
But if the Classicissima Number 116 was beautiful, the same cannot be said for the reactions at home UAE Emirates. Attention, we reiterate this before any controversy, even the slightest: no funeral, no tragedy. On the contrary, always maximum availability to speak, which is not a given at certain times, but it is clear that Third place isn't enough. And this shows how much Pogacar and his team cared... and still care. The joke, snatched from the microphones off before leaving the mix zone, is worth its weight in gold: "I'll try again."
Third place
So even superheroes can fail to win. Sanremo once again slips away from Pogacar, who we haven't seen so tired in a long time. When he starts the sprint he is already too crowded and those five meters given to Van der Poel, perhaps to launch himself, prove fatal for him.
«In my opinion – says the team principal of UAE Mauro Gianetti – Mathieu noticed it and took off. But it's not easy." At that point, perhaps Van der Poel and especially Pogacar expected Ganna to continue. Instead, everything got mixed up.
Perhaps third place was the result of one too many sprints on the Poggio, or of pushing too hard after escaping on the Cipressa. Perhaps, perhaps... how many there are. Too many. And history isn't made with "ifs" and "buts." It was Pogacar himself who made things clear.
«I believe – said the Slovenian, tired as we have rarely seen him – of having played one of the best races of my career. I felt really good in the first three and a half hours of the race. The last part was beautiful. I'm happy with how we ran as a team. We tried everything we could. It was a great job. I gave 100 percent and finished third.
No regrets
In the final 300 meters, all three of us had an equal chance of winning. Looking back at the sprint, we started sprinting at the same time. I repeat, there was nothing else we could have done, neither me nor the team. I'm very proud of how we ran today. We get better every year. We show more aggression and determination. We'll analyze everything and see if we made any mistakes. But today there was simply someone stronger."
The crowd remains crowded around the bus UAE EmiratesIt's incredible how many people are there. Everyone has their smartphones in hand, ready for a photo or maybe a selfie with Pogacar. People love him, and maybe this defeat makes him even greater.
«I have no regrets – concludes Pogacar, who gradually finds a shy smile again – I'm happy that I was able to give my all. For a stretch on the Cipressa, did I have five meters? Yes, but it's not easy to make the difference. I'll have to add some muscle."
What an ending
«We are satisfied anyway – says Gianetti – It was a beautiful race in which three great champions attacked each other without holding back And in the end, we're happy. We're not running alone. Sure, in the first five minutes after the finish, while he was changing, he wasn't very satisfied, but now he's already feeling better."
Gianetti explains how, ultimately, they expected a race like this. They knew they would find a great Van der Poel.
Ultimately, this rivalry is good for the sport. Tadej knows he's not alone and that it's not easy to drop certain riders on certain climbs. Climbs that are done at more than 40 km/h and it's nice to be in the wheel. Even saving just 10 watts in this cycling can make a difference. In fact, in addition to Ganna and VdP, we also expected Pedersen, who did a great job at Paris-Nice. We knew VdP would be there. Even if he didn't have a brilliant Tirreno, he's a sniper at hitting the red-circled events and knows how to prepare very well."
Different cypress?
In short, Sanremo went as expected. UAEMaybe they weren't expecting VdP's counterattack on the Poggio, but that attack could have cost the Dutchman dearly in the sprint. Let's get back to the "ifs" and "buts" discussion.
However, there is something more concrete regarding Cipressa. We asked Gianetti if he missed a man, Del Toro in particular.
«Part of it was missing, but we are not running alone. Taking the lead was not easy for anyone: neither for Tadej nor for Del ToroAt that point, if he had been there too, we would have had four who could have competed for Sanremo. It's clear that Narvaez wouldn't have that strong of a move and behind him, as a counterattack, there would have been one of Del Toro, Wellens or Narvaez himself. We wanted to do the hard race on the Cipressa and we did it."
