Vincenzo Nibali sees key difference between Tadej Pogačar and Mathieu van der Poel wins

Tadej Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel both win numerous major races, but according to Vincenzo Nibali, they each do it in their own way. The Italian former pro states that Pogacar often wins through power, while Van der Poel excels in tactical racing. “He attacks because he is stronger, but who really wins by racing smart? Van der Poel," says the Shark of Messina about Pogacar in an interview with bici.pro.

“Maybe his limit, if you can call it that, is that he thinks he can solve everything with power," Nibali continues. The Italian then refers to Milan-San Remo, the race he himself won in 2018 by making the difference on the descent of the Poggio. "He tries to drop everyone on the climb, without thinking about the possibility of winning the way I did: on the descent.”

Van der Poel’s counter
Although the last edition of Milan-San Remo ended in a sprint between Pogacar, Van der Poel, and Filippo Ganna, the decisive moment according to Nibali happened earlier — specifically during the climb of the Poggio. “When Pogacar attacked and Van der Poel kept him in sight, I immediately said that if Tadej wasn’t careful, his opponent would counterattack and leave him behind there. A second later, exactly that happened. In my opinion, he lost San Remo at that moment.”

While Nibali is critical of Pogacar’s racing style, he believes Van der Poel executed it perfectly. He stated that MVDP handled the sprint like someone 'who knows exactly how to deal with such situations'.

Sixth attempt
Pogacar has ridden Milan-San Remo five times so far. After finishing twelfth in his 2020 debut, he placed fifth (2022), fourth (2023), and twice third (2024 and 2025). On March 21, Pogi will once again go for the win in La Primavera. Leading up to it, he will contest only one race, Strade Bianche, on March 7.