The 116th edition of Milan-San Remo was a special race in all kinds of ways, and above all for its extraordinary finale that saw Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogačar and Filippo Ganna engage in a ding-dong battle over the Cipressa and Poggio climbs and into the finish, where the Dutchman was triumphant in the three-up sprint. His success meant that his Alpecin-Deceuninck team became the first since the early 1970s to win three consecutive editions, while it also ended a run of 17 different winners.
Van der Poel admitted that he’d found the wet and cold conditions difficult during the first part of the race and was glad of the sunny weather that warmed the riders along the Ligurian Riviera into San Remo. ‘The beginning was horrible with the rain and the cold, but when we came down to the coast, I started to feel better and better. I felt really good at the end actually,’ said the Dutchman.
