SANREMO – The classic monument that many would consider the most banal of the lot it caught fire on the Cipressa when Tadej pogacar he decided it was time to blow it upNever in recent years, many years, have I seen the three riders who were supposed to be competing for the race reach the top of the Cipressa. And yet, that's exactly what happened. Pogacar. Van der Poel. GannaAnd the script repeated itself on PoggioAnd just when everyone thought the world champion would make a quick dent in the Dutchman, Mathieu snapped at him, causing a red light to flash on the Slovenian's dashboard.
The sprint of Via Roma remembered the 2022 Tour of Flanders, when Pogacar raised hell and then got lost in the sprint, opening the doors to Van der Poel. Today, Ganna's return confused Tadej and launched the Dutchman towards a repeat at Sanremo. And when he finally came to tell his story in front of the press, Van der Poel admitted that this Sanremo It was the most beautiful victory among the many in his palmares.
Was it your best day on a bike, your best day on the bike?
One of the best. I felt really good at Tirreno and knew that with a week off I would have my best day yet.I was pretty sure I could follow Tadej up the Poggio, but it would be more difficult up the Cipressa. When he tried from so far away, I had to grit my teeth.I wasn't sure I could do it, but I finally did it.
You seemed particularly emotional at the end. It was a very difficult victory, can you tell us something about it?
The first 3-4 hours were horrible. We had bad weather every single day on the Tirreno. And when we passed the Turchino and I saw the sun, when the temperature started to rise, my mood changedI started to feel better and better as we rode along the coast. And I think that was one of the reasons we were able to make that effort on Cipressa, remaining three of us. Someone paid for those first hours in the coldObviously they are not the most difficult routes, but in this weather the body suffers a lot.
You've beaten Tadej seven times, and he's beaten you seven more. There's a lot of talk about your rivalry with Van Aert, but will your number one rival end up being Pogačar?
I think Tadej is everyone's rival. If you can beat him, you're close to winning in these moments, but he remains impressive.He is not only one of the best classics riders, but also one of the best in the Grand Tours. He has exceptional talent, I'm happy to fight him, especially when I manage to beat him.
Before the race, you said that a win here would be a small bonus to your career. Do you still feel that way?
I am very proud and happy to have won Sanremo for the second time. Every Monument is special, but this one is a little more special because of the way it developed.. As a team We won it for the third consecutive year, it had never happened before and who knows if it will ever happen again.
On the Poggio you tried to drop Pogacar: did you want to hit his morale or did you try to go it alone?
I tried to go away alone, because you never know how a sprint with him might end after a race like thatTadej is fast and after such a tough race, so is Filippo. It is not the fastest who wins, but the one with the most strength.I knew Tadej would attack a couple of times to break away from me, so I tried to counterattack too, but he was strong enough to answer me. It was very exciting because the race was so difficult..
Can you tell us about the last 500 meters of the race?
I think everyone knows that the short sprint is the best solution for meBut I worked hard over the winter to lengthen it. And since everyone thought that I would do everything to start very close to the finish line, I decided to launch the sprint at 300 metersThey weren't expecting it and couldn't come back. I think this was a key factor in their victory.
You mentioned a rest week, how did you spend it?
It wasn't really a rest week. On Monday, I was very tired and only rode for an hour. On Tuesday, I rode for three hours. Wednesday four hours on the Flanders route and it was a very hard trainingThen two days behind the bike to get closer to Sanremo. Over the past few years we have collected enough data to know what to doThat was one of the reasons I did the Tirreno, because I need a race like that to be in good shape for a race like this.
Do you think this Sanremo was a great show for those who watched it on television?
I have watched this race many times on television and I had never seen a Cipressa like this, but it was more thanks to Tadej than to meI followed him. I knew he would try something to win this race, and I think they did a perfect job. It was just a few details that didn't work. If my legs had been just a little less shiny, you'd be here talking to him now. He will certainly try every year and probably sooner or later he will manage to win the Sanremo too.
