Breaking away on the Cipressa: UAE Emirates XRG and Tadej Pogacar believe in it

It’s a question on everyone’s lips in the build-up to Milan-San Remo: can Tadej Pogacar finally break away on the Cipressa? Last year, the Slovenian did everything he could to drop the competition, but Mathieu van der Poel and Filippo Ganna managed to latch on. UAE team director Fabio Baldato, however, continues to believe in him.

"Yes, I believe it’s possible," the former rider says clearly in an interview with Sporza. "Although the climb is quite short and the speed incredibly high. You need to go faster than around 35 kilometers per hour. The legs aren’t yet fatigued due to the lack of climbs, but it’s possible."

"You have to compare the base of the Cipressa to the red flag for the sprinters. It’s a point that you can liken to the sprint to the Molenberg or the Oude Kwaremont," the Italian draws a parallel with two iconic climbs featured in races like the Tour of Flanders.

No easy task
Pogacar does face a ‘problem’: unlike last year, the world champion will have to do without two very important lieutenants. "Of course, our team misses Tim Wellens and Jhonatan Narvaéz, but we still have strong riders capable of taking on that work," Baldato believes, undoubtedly referring to top talents like Isaac Del Toro and Florian Vermeersch.

And then there’s Mathieu van der Poel, who starts as the defending champion and showed top form at Tirreno-Adriatico. Baldato acknowledges this as well: "It won’t be an easy task, because Mathieu is in great shape."