Milano - Sanremo 2023, one day monument, March 18

[Dekker_Tifosi]

I love how different reading this topics live reactions is from what the actual riders say after the race.

Here its stuff like "Van Aert closed the gap for MVDP and all he had to do is wheelsuck." Or the classic "the chasers aren't working and letting Mathieu win".

Then you read the actual riders reaction:
Pogacar: "Van der Poel sprinted to the top and there was nothing I could do. I was completely dead"

Van Aert: "I was counting the meters until the top when Pogacar paced and then it turned out Van der Poel had something extra. There was no way I was even thinking of following that. In the downhill I paced immediately but Van der Poel only gained time".

See the difference? People are quick to complain but bad to recognize when the strongest rider is simply up the road and winning lol.

 

[BigCoward]

No, I replied immediatelly

Snappy comeback.

 

[Sciatic]

Actually it looked like he didn't stretch the gap on the descent. It wasn't a descent à la Mohoric last year. He got those few seconds just before the end of the ascend then it remained more or less constant until the end of the desecnd and it finally grew on the flat.

Indeed.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Looking at top 4 today, I think this was the highest quality MSR in recent history. Massive by Van der Poel!

Somehow whenever he wins a big race it's always like this. The Strade he won had a top 10 to die for + Gogl.

 

[topcat]

I love how different reading this topics live reactions is from what the actual riders say after the race.

Here its stuff like "Van Aert closed the gap for MVDP and all he had to do is wheelsuck." Or the classic "the chasers aren't working and letting Mathieu win".

Then you read the actual riders reaction:
Pogacar: "Van der Poel sprinted to the top and there was nothing I could do. I was completely dead"

Van Aert: "I was counting the meters until the top when Pogacar paced and then it turned out Van der Poel had something extra. There was no way I was even thinking of following that. In the downhill I paced immediately but Van der Poel only gained time".

See the difference? People are quick to complain but bad to recognize when the strongest rider is simply up the road and winning lol.

It’s clear that MVDP had the best tactics, was the strongest and won emphatically. It was a beautiful race.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Eh I don't think Pogacar was supposed to get dropped.

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

I also think Pogacar is sometimes a bit a dumb rider. This may sound super harsch. But it is what it is. He's just so freakishly strong it's usually enough to drop everyone and gg ez noob win.

But in races like San Remo he really ought to think of something different then just hard pace+attack to the top and then hope to somehow win.

 

[Didinho]

I love how different reading this topics live reactions is from what the actual riders say after the race.

Here its stuff like "Van Aert closed the gap for MVDP and all he had to do is wheelsuck." Or the classic "the chasers aren't working and letting Mathieu win".

It's always like that on the Sporza fb page, love to read the comments when Mathieu wins again.

 

[Sciatic]

Trentin, I believe.

Thank you!

 

[Sciatic]

I think you misunderstood what I was calling pathetic… I agree with you.

Ok, sorry if I misunderstood (not uncommon ).

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

3-1 in monuments. These are races that matters the most

I don't want to turn this into another wva vs vdp. But it is pretty clear they are very different road racers.
WVA is a super unique super allrounder.
VDP is 'just' a classics beast/super explosive rider.

WVA is super consistent.
VDP is highly erratical, but when he is ON FORM, he is nigh on unbeatable.

Ergo, WVA will always win more, on more terrains, in wildy varying scenarios.
VDP will likely have a better classics palmares though when all is said and done. He's unique set of skills is simply better suited for winning those. And by that I mean his absolutely ridicolous acceleration when he is in top shape.

 

[Lequack]

So MVDP only won because Pog was on a slower Colnago.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

And lets face it, the one with the history of riding to make sure the other doesn't win, is VdP.

You sound like one of those salty HLN.be Van Aert #1 users. Jesus man, lighten up.

 

[RedheadDane]

So MVDP only won because Pog was on a slower Colnago.

And my brain just skipped the "on" in that sentence...
I need to go to bed.

 

[Sciatic]

It’s totally appropriate and desired that all the camera views from the motos and heli were of MVDP and the 3 chasers. But I would have liked a way to see the riders efforts and tactics in the 2nd chase group as well.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

And Pogacar didn't win because he ate 2 gram to much because he didn't have the Jumbo Food App

 

[Netserk]

I also think Pogacar is sometimes a bit a dumb rider. This may sound super harsch. But it is what it is. He's just so freakishly strong it's usually enough to drop everyone and gg ez noob win.

But in races like San Remo he really ought to think of something different then just hard pace+attack to the top and then hope to somehow win.

On the other hand, it's also fascinating to watch someone smash his head against the wall until either the wall crumbles or his head does. Pogi has a strong head, and I'm sure he'll give it a good swinging again next year.

 

[VayaVayaVaya]

Did anyone post this yet?

https://twitter.com/x/status/1637118835302998017

View: https://twitter.com/naichacacycling/status/1637118835302998017?s=46&t=14N416zK93up_7bVPO60Ig

 

[limak_]

I also think Pogacar is sometimes a bit a dumb rider. This may sound super harsch. But it is what it is. He's just so freakishly strong it's usually enough to drop everyone and gg ez noob win.

But in races like San Remo he really ought to think of something different then just hard pace+attack to the top and then hope to somehow win.

What different Pogacar can think for San Remo than hard pace + attack? Imho the only improvement from today would be attacking much later, possibly as late before the downhill as possible (just as Mathieu did). But as Wellens was done, Pog had no other choice than to attack immediately. If not, everyone would've looked at him and we have replay from last year. MvdP was the strongest (but imho Pogacar was almost equally strong looking how much time he spent on the front after his attack and remember at 40 kph the draft advantage is huge) but he also benefitted massively on Pogacar's behaviour.

 

[Red Rick]

I also think Pogacar is sometimes a bit a dumb rider. This may sound super harsch. But it is what it is. He's just so freakishly strong it's usually enough to drop everyone and gg ez noob win.

But in races like San Remo he really ought to think of something different then just hard pace+attack to the top and then hope to somehow win.

You misunderstand.

Having more watts than everyone else 24/7 requires an insane racing IQ

 

[limak_]

It’s totally appropriate and desired that all the camera views from the motos and heli were of MVDP and the 3 chasers. But I would have liked a way to see the riders efforts and tactics in the 2nd chase group as well.

The thing I would have liked most today would've been seeing the exact moment of MvdP's attack instead of watching Mohoric and Pedersen dying few hundreds meters behind.

 

[Didinho]

Mathieu wanted to attack a bit earlier but couldn't find a gap. When he did he went just between Pogi and the wall. Didn't want to ride defensively like last years. Now he had the feeling to open the final. He went downhill at 80%, to maintain fresher legs for a sprint if they came back. In the descent he couldn't hear anything in his ears which was good to focus on his lines.

Also first time in years he had a normal run-up to the road season. Was waiting to see him at his best again, for a longer period than just a peak in the Ronde. We could be in for a big masterclass this classics.
If, and I say IF, he wins Ronde and Roubaix. I see him try to do Liege aswell, to go for all the monuments. Maybe skip Amstel or so.

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

One last thing: 1x's are freaking stupid for the road. I know it's a sponsorship thing, but SRAM can f**k all the way off. I hate them for anything but a trail bike and above.

 

[Tonton]

I also think Pogacar is sometimes a bit a dumb rider. This may sound super harsch. But it is what it is. He's just so freakishly strong it's usually enough to drop everyone and gg ez noob win.

But in races like San Remo he really ought to think of something different then just hard pace+attack to the top and then hope to somehow win.

This ^

As much as I'm a Pog fan, he's the best, he knows it, and that can bring his demise on a day like today. He probably thought that, as usual, hard pace and a massive surge would urn the other riders into spectators, destroy everybody, if no physically, at the very least mentally. A bit of overconfidence maybe.

In any case, MVP and Wout were still there, Ganna was in the perfect situation, it wasn't his job to do the chasing, his best chance was to let the big guns chase each other.

MVP was just too good today, he's a great champion, he deserved it, Poupou in the sky is having tears of joy.

 

[hayneplane]

Interesting hypothetical of whether Trentin being on Pogacars wheel and doing the slowdown trick he pulled would’ve created a decisive gap or if MVDP was simply too strong and would have come across any gap on the descent.

 

[Netserk]

What different Pogacar can think for San Remo than hard pace + attack? Imho the only improvement from today would be attacking much later, possibly as late before the downhill as possible (just as Mathieu did). But as Wellens was done, Pog had no other choice than to attack immediately. If not, everyone would've looked at him and we have replay from last year. MvdP was the strongest (but imho Pogacar was almost equally strong looking how much time he spent on the front after his attack and remember at 40 kph the draft advantage is huge) but he also benefitted massively on Pogacar's behaviour.

He can hope that he is the strongest and make it a race the strongest will win (like today). He could have attacked a bit earlier (around this spot, where they had just turned left to a tailwind and when only Kragh was in position to follow), but more importantly after firing his best bullet, he could have raced negatively. They can catch him, but he can make them lose. And then he goes again next year, daring them to choose mutual destruction.