Hugs, speed and strategy: Three takeaways from Milan – San Remo

Jasper Philipsen claimed his first career Monument on Saturday, and it thanks to his teammate, and last year’s winner Mathieu van Der Poe. La Classicissima wrapped up with an electrifying, tightly contested sprint, where Tadej Pogačar clinched a podium finish, and van der Poel settled for 10th place. This edition of Milan-San Remo marked the fastest ever, with riders averaging 46 km/h and the victorious time clocking in at 6 hours, 15 minutes, and 44 seconds.

Pogi shoots his shot on the Poggio

As always, the 50-strong peloton engaged in a frantic battle for positioning as they approached the turn onto the Poggio. Initially, Lidl-Trek and then Tudor took charge at the front. Van der Poel strategically shadowed Pogačar, while Ineos – Grenadiers assumed control of the pace. Tim Wellens of UAE-Emirates surged ahead, stretching the group.

With less than a kilometre to go, Pogačar launched an attack. Van der Poel, Filippo Ganna, and Alberto Bettiol responded, forming a tight group. However, as they approached the summit, Pogačar made another move, closely followed by Van der Poel.

Pidcock soon joined the leading duo after an incredible descent, followed by Mads Pedersen and Mohorič. Mohorič seized the opportunity to attack on the downhill stretch, but was caught with 1.3 km remaining. Matteo Sobrero attempted a breakaway, but Pidcock swiftly overtook him.

Pidcock looked like he might pull it off–but his lead was short-lived as Stuyven closed in, setting the stage for a frenzied sprint to the finish. Michael Matthews briefly surged ahead, but Philipsen maneuvered along the left barrier, propelling himself to a remarkable victory. Matthews secured second place, with Pogačar taking the last spot on the podium.

Super fast…but too slow for Pogi

The plan for the Slovenian was to make the Poggio as fast as possible, which would enable a mega-attack. But it took some time for some of his teammates to get to the front, and they couldn’t keep the pace high enough to decimate the field as much as planned.

“Today was one of the easiest races ever,” the two-time Tour de France champion told the media after finishing third in La Primavera. The UAE-Emirates’ team had tried to make the 288-km race harder but, despite setting the fastest average speed ever for Milan-San Remo at around 46 km/hr, didn’t succeed in making it hard enough for Pogačar to escape the field.

“We had a plan and we executed it,” Pogačar said after the race. “But we missed ten per cent on the Cipressa and beyond. As a result, we could not make the climb of the Poggio difficult enough.”

Two-tiered team strategies

That meant that van der Poel could sit on his wheel, and down the descent he was content to drift behind him. He knew that if it ended up in a sprint, the Dutchman would take it. But when the lead group swelled to 12, van der Poel knew that it was his job to make sure the break was intact for his team sprinter, Philipsen. Although the road world champion is a fastman himself, the odds were better for Philipsen and he made the split-second decision to reel in Pidcock and Stuyven. Clearly, the Alpecin-Deceuninck boys knew they had two aces to play in the finale, and MvdP swapped to teammate mode once he knew it would be a sprint.

So many hugs

Leading up to the Italian race Lance Armstrong shared his thoughts on what he has noticed in the pro peloton lately. He told Danny Duncan that things were much different than in his day when it came to…hugs.

big day for love enjoyers 🩷 pic.twitter.com/eYEpggDIeu

— robyn (will use caps) (@robynjournalist) March 16, 2024

“This generation now, these guys go hammer, race each other, some guy will lose. The guy who wins is waiting at the finish line,” he said. “They’re fucking hugging it out…I’m like, what? You’re just waiting there so you can all hug this out? After you just lost? I’m not saying that our generation was the way to do it or that I was proud. I think it’s kind of cool to see, but it wasn’t like that for us. Never even crossed my mind.”

Whether or not any of the pros heard Armstrong’s comments, we will never know. But there seemed to be even more hugs and fair play after the race. Were the lads letting Ole Lance know that times have changed?

All in all, it was another incredible day, where after 250 km of predictably uneventful racing we were treated to an incredible finale.