Milano - Sanremo 2023, one day monument, March 18

[Netserk]

I think the Poggio is once again exposed as a 1 minute yolopunch more so than a 6 minute even climb.

Yet Ganna was one of the best, he wouldn't be on Cauberg. Punch matters, but so does rouleur ability and position.

 

[woodburn]

IMO he looked the weakest of the top 4 on the Poggio.

Yeah. Late to the front before the start and then didn't close gaps that quickly. Also spent energy trying to drive the descent. Not surprising he didn't have much left.

 

[theyoungest]

Can we even be sure Van Aert had the legs? He got washmachined hard in that hairpin where Wellens launched, but he really didn't close the gaps that easily.

Van Aert was constantly in the wrong position. He had to move up too many times, also because of his surprising lack of a team. Alpecin was way stronger, also a surprise (although if you've seen Kragh in Paris-Nice maybe not so much).

And Van der Poel is just more explosive. Van Aert can't match that acceleration, never has and never will.

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

With his insane acceleration, he has the luxury that he can wait longer than others before he attacks. Superb use of Kragh, and then Pogi had to force it on the steepest spot. Given the legs he had, Van der Poel also rode really well here last year. He reads these finishes and understands his path to victory far better than Van Aert does.

That path was to suck Wout's wheel when he closed the gap to Pog.

 

[Miha81]

But he killed the chase!

I guess Pogi and WVA did not have enough in the tank to do anything. WVA tried but was spent force.

 

[Riek s]

Can we even be sure Van Aert had the legs? He got washmachined hard in that hairpin where Wellens launched, but he really didn't close the gaps that easily.

Think WVA is just as before. One of the strongest, but always struggling at the top to keep up, especially if someone can still accelerate near the top. So he is grinding near the top @ max capacity.

 

[Netserk]

The greatest trick the devil ever pulled.

Nobody was talking about Van der Poel before this race.

Nobody.

* * * * * - Mathieu van der Poel
* * * * - Wout van Aert, Jasper Philipsen
* * * - Tadej Pogačar, Alexander Aranburu, Matej Mohorič
* * - Mads Pedersen, Anthony Turgis, Christophe Laporte, Julian Alaphilippe
* - Arnaud De Lie, Biniam Girmay, Jasper Stuyven, Søren Kragh Andersen, Magnus Cort

EDIT: and Alberto Bettiol as the unranked dark horse.

 

[topcat]

What a race from MVDP. Pog attacks violently and he’s cool, doesn’t react, lets Wout burn himself out pulling the two of them up to Pog. What a punch over the top, great descent and more powerful than the three musketeers on the flat.
When you react you’re a loser and when you respond you’re a winner.

 

[Red Rick]

Van Aert really doesn't look happy

 

[noob]

That might be objectively the best looking podium ever though

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

Can we even be sure Van Aert had the legs? He got washmachined hard in that hairpin where Wellens launched, but he really didn't close the gaps that easily.

He clearly didn't. Being sick before Strada has set him back a bit as of now...in 2 weeks, we'll see how he is.

 

[Unterlenkerfahrend]

Don't get people complaining about Ganna. If he goes ITT mode on the last 3km everyone will call him a stupid donkey because he pulls superiors sprinters in WVA and Pog back to MVDP (another superior sprinter).
I think the chase was doomed because Pogacarhad invested too much on the Poggio and WVA was dead already on the Poggio and also leading the chase the whole descent.

 

[Gigs_98]

As much as I enjoy him going for MSR, at some point Pogacar needs to realize he cannot win this race the way he is trying to right now. You can win MSR three different ways. In a sprint, with a surprise attack after the Poggio or with an attack on the Poggio nobody immediately responds to. Riding the final km of the Poggio from the front is not way number 4, as much as Pog might wish.

That's not to say he can't win this race at all. I absolutely believe that with the roles reversed and Pogacar attacking out of VdP slipstream, VdP probably can't follow. But if everyone and their mother knows the Pogacar attack is coming and all you have to do is staying on his wheel, he will never be successful. It's not a coincidence that the only time in recent history a climber was able to win, it was on what was otherwise an extremely slow Poggio ascent. Pogacar's priority needs to be to somehow get a gap, not to set a high pace.

 

[Tim Cahill]

Bit of a sickener doing the Poggio in the same time as a 60% Hct Jalabert in 1995 and still losing to be fair, I'd be a bit miffed too.

 

[Didinho]

Nice top 10 by Powless. Really stacking some goodresults.

Sixth overall in Paris Nice
Third overall at Haut Var
First overall in Etoile de Bessèges
First place in Grand Prix Marseille

When Remco won Liege, it was "only Powless".

 

[jono]

That path was to suck Wout's wheel when he closed the gap to Pog.

Sure. MVDP was also the only one to close to Pog when he first launched (6.5km to go). If he sits up there Pogacar rides away. Wout was almost out of the picture at that point.

 

[Didinho]

Van Aert really doesn't look happy

He wanted his 2nd place offcourse.

 

[Divergence]

Wout lost some fitness when he was ill. There's still much time before the ones that really matter, so we'll see you in April. But yeah VdP finally wins one Wout already won.

Possibly, but it does not look good for WvA at the moment. MvdP was able to raise his level from TA just in time for MSR and Wout was unable to do the same.

 

[Netserk]

Can we even be sure Van Aert had the legs? He got washmachined hard in that hairpin where Wellens launched, but he really didn't close the gaps that easily.

Today was for sure a difference of strength, but Van der Poel also executed superbly. And best legs or not, we don't see from Van Aert.

 

[Salvarani]

It is not a hate comment. Sure, I do not like him winning all the time, so I am happy he did not win today. But the truth is he looked weak today by his standards, which also makes me happy.

Pathetic.

 

[Netserk]

IMO he looked the weakest of the top 4 on the Poggio.

He also had the worst position, right?

 

[Red Rick]

As much as I enjoy him going for MSR, at some point Pogacar needs to realize he cannot win this race the way he is trying to right now. You can win MSR three different ways. In a sprint, with a surprise attack after the Poggio or with an attack on the Poggio nobody can immediately respond to. Riding the final km of the Poggio from the front is not way number 4, as much as Pog might wish.

That's not to say he can't win this race at all. I absolutely believe that with the roles reversed and Pogacar attacking out of VdP slipstream, VdP probably can't follow. But if everyone and their mother knows the Pogacar attack is coming and all you have to do is staying on his wheel, he will never be successful. It's not a coincidence that the only time in recent history a climber was able to win, it was on what was otherwise an extremely slow Poggio ascent. Pogacar's priority needs to be to somehow get a gap, not to set a high pace.

I think the paradigm in 2018 was very much still that it was a sprinters race, which led to sprinters teams on the Poggio, and group dynamics being much stronger. Now more teams try to nuke the Poggio, so it's more selective as a default.

IMO there's 2 factors that play against Pogacar.

1. His sprint is very good after a super hard race. But Sanremo isn't that hard. I don't like his chance in a sprint in most groups.
2. His descending ability. I don't think he descends that great, so he's prone to downhill attacks or bleeding back time if he's solo over the Poggio.

 

[jaylew]

Wout lost some fitness when he was ill. There's still much time before the ones that really matter, so we'll see you in April. But yeah VdP finally wins one Wout already won.

Well, Wout's only won one monument so...
Otherwise Mathieu won Strade after Wout if we're talking classics

 

[Red Rick]

Anthem went on for all 236 verses I think.

I only know the one verse.

 

[Didinho]

As the biggest Mathieu fan, I couldn't hoped for a better scenario! I knew he was strong when he went in the front on top of the Cipressa, when you think he's riding dumb and to much in the wind, he's good. And he always needs some races in his legs, I never doubted him the last weeks. What a machine when he wants something.
So f*cking excited for the Ronde and Roubaix now!