What a finale to Milan-San Remo. It’s a race that’s always about the finale, as we know, but in this year’s races, both men’s and women’s, they were something special. In many ways, the unfortunate crash for Tadej Pogačar, Mathieu van der Poel and others just before the Cipressa, and the way they immediately bounced back from that and attacked on the climb, only added to how special this year’s edition of the men’s race was.
After the crash, you’d say to most normal riders, ‘Take a moment to recover for a little while here,’ but Pogačar was immediately flying up the outside of everybody and back to the front. To go from hitting the deck to what occurred next in such a short space of time, you have to give it to him; he just keeps on putting in these mind-boggling performances.
Okay, Pogačar was fortunate that neither he nor his bike were too badly damaged by the crash, unlike both Van der Poel and Wout van Aert, because it allowed him to get back to the front of the pack sooner. However, his UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammates, Brandon McNulty and Isaac del Toro, with the odds already stacked against them due to Jan Christen’s earlier crash, did a great job returning him to the front and ramping up the speed.
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You could say after the crash that he had nothing to lose, but in reality, being able to actually put a plan like that – attacking on the Cipressa – into action is completely different. Considering he had absolutely no time to recover, you’d forgive UAE for falling back to an attack on the Poggio. But instead, they decide to make the race explode right there and then. It’s mind-blowing racing from Pogačar. But that’s the kind of rider he is. Tactics? He doesn’t need any tactics.
When the three of them, Pogačar, Van der Poel, and Tom Pidcock, got away, you could quickly see that the Dutchman was feeling the effects of his crash. Pidcock started to share the load, which makes sense when there’s a podium spot essentially in the bag. But as soon as the Briton did, Pogačar attacked over the top, so he didn’t ride after that, and I can understand that approach because if you’re starting to feel it in the legs, and Pogačar’s trying to hit you with those efforts, you say, ‘I’m not riding anymore.’
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