Paris (AFP)
The euphoria continues for the Belgian Wout Van Aert who won Saturday Milan-San Remo, the first monument of the cycling season, a week after his success in the Strade Bianche which marked the resumption of the WorldTour after the stoppage due to the pandemic.
On Via Roma, the young Belgian (25) emerged victorious from his duel with the outgoing winner, the French Julian Alaphilippe, who returned to a very high level, after 305 kilometers of the longest race of the year.
"He really deserves his victory", greeted Alaphilippe, ahead of a wheel after some seven hours of racing under a summer sun.
In eight days, "an incredible week" according to the smiling Belgian, Van Aert imitated Alaphilippe who had also won the Strade Bianche then Milan-San Remo last year. And brought Belgium its first success in San Remo since the "naturalized" Andrei Tchmil in 1999.
To win, Van Aert, who was given favorite by his opponents, had to contain Alaphilippe's attack in the last 1,500 meters of the Poggio, the last difficulty of the race, at the threshold of the last 6 kilometers.
"On the Poggio, I was at the limit," admitted the Belgian. "Alaphilippe attacked earlier than expected and I couldn't hold his wheel." But, by tipping over at the top 4 seconds behind the Frenchman, he was able to make the junction in the descent and restart the pace to avoid the return of the peloton, before the two-man sprint.
- Four days of racing in one year -
"Alaphilippe played the shot very well," said Van Aert, followed like his shadow by the outgoing winner in the last kilometer. "Fortunately, I had enough power left to beat him on the line."
"I'm still happy but it's a little frustrating to have come so close to victory," said Alaphilippe for his part. "On the descent, I felt like I had crossed the limit. I waited for Wout and tried to get the best sprint possible. I knew it would be difficult."
If the first pursuers had the duo in their sights in the streets of San Remo, they observed an observation time which prohibited them from making the junction, to within 2 seconds. For third place, the Australian Michael Matthews settled the Slovakian Peter Sagan in a group also including the French Arnaud Démare, one of the few sprinters not to have been left behind in the Poggio before being the victim of a puncture in the final straight line.
"It's the strongest who wins," admitted Alaphilippe, visibly reassured. "A podium in a monument is good, even if second, it sucks in the eyes of some people. I feel better and better. It's still a surprise to come so close to victory and that does a lot of good ".
The San Remo was Van Aert's fourth day of racing (and therefore his second victory) in twelve months. Thanks to the pandemic, but also to the long stop that followed his fall in the Pau time trial at the Tour de France 2019, four days after his success in a massive sprint on a false flat going up to Albi.
For his team Jumbo, the week alternated the best and the worst. Between the performances of Van Aert and the Slovenian Primoz Roglic, stage winner at the Tour de l'Ain and candidate for the yellow jersey in the next Tour, and also the dramatic sprint of Katowice at the Tour of Poland, where the responsibility of the Dutchman Dylan Groenewegen (provisionally suspended) is engaged.
© 2020 AFP