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Stephen Farrand

'If I'm 1% off, Tadej will be gone' - Mathieu van der Poel prepares to take on Pogačar on the Cipressa at Milan-San Remo

van der Poel Tadej Pogačar Mathieu van der Poel MilanSan Remo Milan Filippo Ganna AlpecinPremier Tech TirrenoAdriatico Poggio Classics
GENT, BELGIUM - FEBRUARY 28: Mathieu van der Poel of Alpecin-Premier Tech of Netherlands wins Omloop het Nieuwsblad 2026 during the match between Omloop Nieuwsblad v Men Elite at the Gent on February 28, 2026 in Gent Belgium (Photo by Pim Waslander/Soccrates/Getty Images).

Perfection doesn't exist in professional cycling, there are too many variables and too much human suffering involved. Yet Mathieu van der Poel seems in perfect form and has the perfect talents and race-smart tactics to win Milan-San Remo for a third time on Saturday. The Dutchman is the archetypal Spring Classics winner of his generation. He and even Tadej Pogačar seem to know it too.

Pogačar desperately wants to win Milan-San Remo but knows nature has dealt the Alpecin-Premier Tech leader a better hand of cards for La Classicissima. He can win Grand Tours and virtually any other race but when he lines up in Pavia on Saturday morning, deep down Pogačar knows Van der Poel can beat him. He has done it twice already and that must be unnerving for the UAE Team Emirates-XRG leader.

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