Mathieu van der Poel looks ahead to duel with Pogacar: "It's only a matter of time before he wins Milan-San Remo"

Mathieu van der Poel showed with two impressive stage wins in Tirreno-Adriatico that he is on the right track toward Milan-San Remo, one of his main goals this spring. "I don't think I need to do much more," he told Sporza.

"I feel good and have had a solid preparation. I'm happy with my legs and the feeling this week, that's all I needed," said Van der Poel, who already looks ahead to Milan-San Remo, scheduled for next Saturday. "Whether the winner was riding here is still a question mark. It's often the same names that come up: myself, Wout (van Aert), and Ganna," Van der Poel added.

Duel with Pogacar
Last year, the Dutchman claimed La Primavera for the second time in his career after a gripping duel with Tadej Pogacar, who already broke things up on the Cipressa climb. "In the past, you didn't need to start watching on the Cipressa. Tadej and UAE have changed that."

Still, the former world champion does not see the race being broken open earlier. “They once tried to make the race hard on the Capi, but mainly burnt themselves with it. So I don't believe in that," Van der Poel said, expecting a close battle between him and Pogacar. "Last year he was very close already. If I'm even a fraction off, Tadej is gone on the Cipressa. It's just a matter of time before he wins that race," he concluded.