Italian weather models predict strong headwinds for Tadej Pogacar

Tadej Pogacar will be in for a shock in Cologne when he checks the latest weather forecasts on his phone this Friday. The Slovenian world champion of UAE Emirates has repeatedly trained on the Cipressa and the Poggio in recent weeks to meticulously prepare his ultimate attack on that first climb. Tailwind would then help him, but he won’t get that.

Last year, he did have the wind at his back and was able to launch his attack, although he was joined by Mathieu van der Poel and Filippo Ganna. The Dutchman ultimately won in a long sprint, while the Slovenian was caught off-guard and finished third. It was one of the finest finales of Milan-San Remo in years, but that likely won’t happen this year. Despite forecasts of tailwind earlier in the week, those disappeared a day before the race.

Although the wind force three on the Beaufort scale is still relatively manageable, the wind along the coast always tends to be noticeably stronger than inland. Moreover, according to Weeronline, by late afternoon the wind will blow from the southwest to south-southwest. That means there will be cross- and headwinds on the Cipressa, unlike last year. Also, on the section between the Cipressa and the Poggio, the wind will be unfavorable for attackers.

Karsten Kroon even told WielerFlits that with headwind, Pogacar has “no chance” to win Milan-San Remo. This is simply because he has never been able to drop Mathieu van der Poel on the Poggio. Attacking the Cipressa in a headwind is suicide. Furthermore, the two-time Dutch winner impressed greatly with his current form in Tirreno-Adriatico.