Mathieu van der Poel cautious in Milan-San Remo: "Pogacar can also win a sprint"

Mathieu van der Poel lines up today as the defending champion in Milan-San Remo. Just like in 2025, he will again have to contend with Tadej Pogacar in this year’s edition, who last year made an early break on the Cipressa.

“It was one of my most spectacular victories,” Mathieu van der Poel says in an interview with Eurosport about his win in Il Primavera last year. “Attacking on the Cipressa doesn’t happen often. It was cool to be in that lead group.”

In 2025 he beat Filippo Ganna and Pogacar in a sprint finish. “The conditions that year were also perfect, with a tailwind. That’s not always going to be the case here; this time we’ll just have to wait and see.”

He’s definitely fired up to win. So is Pogacar, who has been chasing Milan-San Remo for years. “The day Tadej wins this race will surely come. I think it’s only a matter of time. He doesn’t necessarily have to win it on the Cipressa or Poggio; he could also take it in a sprint after a tough race. He looks strong, but of course, he did last year too. We know how strong he is, and it’s up to us to follow him,” Van der Poel adds.