In the wheel of "Poupou". Sixty-two years after his grandfather Raymond Poulidor, Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel won Milan-Sanremo solo on Saturday 18 March after an impressive number in the Poggio.

The Alpecin rider made the difference just before the summit of the Poggio, five kilometers from the finish, to beat by fifteen seconds a group of three other superstars, settled in the sprint by the Italian Filippo Ganna ahead of the Belgian Wout Van Aert and the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar.

This is Van der Poel's third victory in one of the five Monuments, the most prestigious classics on the calendar, after his successes in the Tour of Flanders in 2020 and 2022.

It is also a new nod to his grandpa, the legendary "Poupou", who died in November 2019 at the age of 83 and to whom he was very close. No tears this time, as in 2021 when he took the yellow jersey of the Tour de France which had always refused his grandfather after his victory in Mûr-de-Bretagne.

But a deep satisfaction to now appear, with his French grandfather, in the list of winners of "la Classicissima", the longest race of the year, 294 kilometers of a boring procession before the powerful shot of adrenaline in the final.

"I'm proud to have done it"

"I heard that Milan-Sanremo was the only monument he won. It's nice to win the same. It's always very special to win this race. It does not offer many opportunities. Great champions have never won here. I'm proud to have done it," he said, without any particular effusion.

"Van der Poelidoer" was more demonstrative on his bike when he made the difference at the top of the last climb, the mythical Poggio, after countering Pogacar who had placed a first attack to do justice to the hard work of his UAE team.

At the famous telephone booth, placed at the peak, he swung five seconds ahead of a royal hunting group, composed of Pogacar, Ganna and Van Aert, the best general classification rider, the best rider and the best classic hunter, with Van der Poel, on the planet.

It was already too late.

Impressive in his mastery of the descent that he says he did "80%", without excessive risk-taking, the cyclocross world champion widened his advantage over the poisonous switchbacks leading to the Via Roma to gain time to savor the last meters, while, behind, the three luxury pursuers struggled to get along.

"No regrets" for Pogacar

While waiting for the podium, Van der Poel was relishing his feat, stuck in a tiny sofa between Ganna and Van Aert who looked quite dejected after the bad lap played by their comrade, the first Dutchman to win in Sanremo since Hennie Kuiper in 1985.

"It already makes me a lot of second places this season," sighed Ganna, impressive in the climb despite his size of wheel and who said he was "both disappointed and satisfied".

Van Aert, who still has only one Monument to his name (Milan-Sanremo in 2020), has also accepted the superiority of his great rival. "I have already not been able to follow Pogacar's attack and when Mathieu left in turn, I had nothing left in the tank. He was the strongest. Bravo to him," commented the Belgian.

"No regrets," also stressed Pogacar who had fallen even before the official kick-off, given for the first time in the great suburbs of Milan, in Abbiategrasso, without damage to the Slovenian, seen hilarious at the real start, while a fan dusted off his left shoulder with a respectful hand.

With AFP

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