Mathieu van der Poel returns as the defending champion at this Saturday’s Milan-San Remo, bringing the rainbow stripes to the start line for the first time this season at the much anticipated opening Monument of the year.
It is the second time in the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider's career that he has used the race to launch his road season, last doing so in 2022 when he finished third in an edition won by Matej Mohorič (Bahrain Victorious). Last year, after riding Strade Bianche and the seven-day Tirreno-Adriatico beforehand, he made the move up to the top step of the podium, using an assault across the Poggio to claim victory ahead of Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers), Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) and Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates).
