"Everyone fears Pogacar and Van der Poel": how San Remo rivals already adapt

Anyone who looks at the start list for Milan-San Remo will see very few fast men listed. Most teams are aiming on Saturday for a puncheur or climber in the monument that for years was considered a golden opportunity for sprinters. Is that evolution definitive, and why do teams give up in advance? We inquired among the rivals of top favorites Tadej Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel.

The 2025 edition woke up riders and teams. We all still remember the impressive rush by UAE Emirates XRG on the Cipressa climb, which traditionally opens the finale. One by one, Tadej Pogacar’s domestiques emptied themselves, hoping to tire out the competition. When the master himself launched his acceleration a few hundred meters before the top, only Mathieu van der Poel and (after the descent) Filippo Ganna could follow. The rest would never see them again.

On Saturday, almost everyone expects a similar scenario. Consequently, the less climbing-oriented sprinters are drawing their conclusions. Arnaud De Lie was very outspoken to colleagues at Het Laatste Nieuws. He will not start on Saturday. “Unless Pogacar and Van der Poel report sick five days beforehand. I have to be realistic: with them at the start, I have no chance whatsoever. They climb the Cipressa a minute faster than the rest.”

De Lie concluded that Milan-San Remo is henceforth a 'lost day'. Team director Wesley Van Speybrouck, who had selected climber Lennert Van Eetvelt as leader for Lotto-Intermarché, supports his leader. “I think we are making the right decision. We already determined beforehand that other races take priority. In the GP de Denain on Thursday, he can still contest for the win. He’s also still young. In the long term, Arnaud might be able to handle a race like Milan-San Remo, but that’s not the case now.”

Why are almost all the other teams doing the same? As for fast names, we only see Jasper Philipsen, Tobias Lund (Decathlon CMA CGM), Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step), and Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease a Bike) on the entry list. Although none of them are pure sprinters, and their support riders tend to be better climbers. “I think they are all a bit scared of Pogacar and Van der Poel,” laughs Van Speybrouck.

Quick-Step and Philipsen are trying
Soudal Quick-Step team director Wilfried Peeters was adamant about taking Magnier to Italy. “I agree with you that this is no longer a sprinters’ race. Cycling has evolved, but we must be honest as well. It’s only one man who makes the difference. Without UAE and Pogacar at the start, it’s still something where sprinters can score. He won’t last forever, and successors like Paul Seixas and Isaac Del Toro are a different category. That’s why we want Magnier to gain experience,” he explains.

Peeters refers to recent editions won by Mark Cavendish (in 2009), Alexander Kristoff (2014), Arnaud Démare (2016), or Jasper Philipsen (2024). Closed races with a limited bunch sprint at the end. “Those times may not be gone forever. That’s why it’s so important that Magnier learns how to ride that race. Don’t forget that Philipsen’s edition was only two years ago. You have to believe in it always, otherwise half the peloton shouldn’t start anymore.”

Riders like Magnier will never get a free gift. “Milan-San Remo has never been a pure sprinters’ chance,” says Peeters. “As a sprinter you always have to somewhat endure the race and depend on how the rest rides. But if everything falls into place one day, as a fast man you have to be ready to seize your chance.”

For this year’s edition, Peeters is clear: “UAE Emirates has had a plan in place for a long time, and they are going to execute it on the Cipressa. You can’t stop that. But they won’t drop Van der Poel uphill. He was incredible at Tirreno-Adriatico. I’ve never seen him ride so fast,” laughs the team director. “And Pogacar is again in top shape. Whether they break away easily will also depend on the weather. At the start of the week, rain was forecast, which makes the race even tougher.”

Jasper Philipsen is among the select group of riders who want to try regardless. “There’s always a chance. Nine times out of ten, it really is a lost day if you look at the result. But then you do get the kilometers and that long race in your legs. I also think for every tiny chance there is, you have to go for it. Milan-San Remo is too important a race to just pass up.”

In what way could the fast rider from Limburg still win? “I was in good shape in Italy, but following those guys on the Cipressa is a different story. I think Mathieu has a good chance to win again. And then I try to ride my race from the second line. That means: after the climbs, I check which group I’m in and what position we’re ultimately fighting for. It is what it is: because of Pogacar’s dominance, it’s a different race with a different dynamic than when I won.”

Selections
Philipsen is lucky to still have a contender in Van der Poel on the team at Alpecin-Premier Tech. Not everyone can say that. Bahrain Victorious won La Primavera in 2022 with Matej Mohoric, but they are also at their wits’ end. “If they really accelerate on the Cipressa, even climber-types can’t keep up anymore,” says team director Nikolas Maes. “You have to be extremely talented like the two champions, or at best Filippo Ganna, to have that acceleration.”

Maes acknowledges that selecting a team for La Primavera is different than years ago. “We also realize that it doesn’t make sense anymore to bring sprinters. The riders who finished up front in recent years dictate the law on the toughest part of the course. Every year they cut extra minutes on the Cipressa. You can ride however you want, but you have to follow. If you decide to wait for your domestiques to organize, you lose twenty extra seconds and it’s definitely over for competing in the sprint for the win.”

It almost sounds like resignation. “In theory, it’s a race that Pogacar can find hard to win, but he will still decide everything. It will be the same men as last year. But we have to embrace that. There are teams that might start finding that annoying, but we have to realize that Pogacar and Van der Poel are flagships for the sport. Not dull guys, but men with charisma. That’s great to watch, but it makes it harder for us to win,” concludes an honest Maes.