For the first time since 1996 the winning move was launched on the Cipressa. This set up a frantic thirty minutes of action where Tadej Pogačar and Mathieu Van der Poel traded attacks and Filippo Ganna chased them all the way to the line.
“È grigia la strada ed è grigia la luce” as Paolo Conte sang, the road was grey and the light was grey as the peloton rolled out of Pavia looking like Lombardia’s biggest group ride with riders in mis-matched rain gear. Even Tadej Pogačar had black shorts and a black rain jacket.
Soon the day’s breakaway was formed as two groups coalesced, complete with two Bardiani and two Solution Tech riders and then three as Kristian Sbaragli bridged across to make eight riders away for the day. Just like last year Silvan Dillier lead the chase for Alpecin-Deceuninck and seemed to be on the front for hours on end.
The Cipressa saw the last of the breakaway riders in Martin Marcellusi caught right at the start, the road was clear. But UAE were not visible, in fact they seemed more out of place than last year. Filippo Ganna and Mathieu van der Poel had the best seats, each with a team mate ahead of them as Tim Wellens barged past to set the pace. But Tadej Pogačar – by now in white – and his rainbow jersey was way back. Pogačar began moving up, 20th wheel, 15th wheel, going in the wind to overtake others was almost an attack in itself. Wellens piled on the pace, his whole body straining as he aimed for a personal finish line two kilometres into the climb. As he pulled over, Jhonathan Narvaez punched through to the front with Pogačar on his wheel. Narvaez was gasping for air like a fish out of water and then stood on the pedals for one final burst.
Pogačar launched, the move that seemed audacious for Playstation cycling or bloggers to write about was on. Ganna, Van der Poel and Romain Grégoire followed as a gap opened up on the rest. Soon Grégoire was in a world of pain, head tilted sideways and he fell off the slipstream to leave a trio of Pogačar, Van der Poel and Ganna. Pogačar kicked again and Ganna was distanced but the Italian kept the two in range and got across as the slope eased. Van der Poel started to work on the front. The selection was made and as they passed the church in Cipressa stopwatches recorded the first time under nine minutes.
The trio pulled out a minute’s lead on a chase group left with few workers to chase. Soon the peloton saw the leaders’ three team cars pass, a moral-sapping time check. Up front this was poker time: Pogačar risked being out-sprinted in Sanremo; the other two risked being ejected on the Poggio but they seemed to cooperate. Until the Poggio, when Pogačar darted to the inside of the first bend and attacked, distancing Ganna. You could hear disc brakes squealing as they climbed through the corners at speed. Pogačar kept looking at Van der Poel but the Dutchman seemed to avoid eye contact and just as Ganna was about to get back on Pogačar kicked again. Van der Poel matched him but had to sit down after 15 pedal strokes and suddenly a gap opened. But Pogačar too had to sit down as another bend came up and as he dabbed the brakes Van der Poel was back. Pogačar surged again after the corner but this time he was the first to sit down. Van der Poel came through as Ganna had the pair in range again. So Pogačar jumped again but this time only ten pedal strokes out of the saddle, Van der Poel’s grey kit making him look like a long shadow that followed Pogačar. The world champion tried once again, this time his face a rare rictus of agony but by now he was starting to spin a lower gear while Van der Poel looked more potent. Indeed Van der Poel attacked and got a gap he looked back to find Pogačar two bike lengths back and eased off. At the top of the Poggio the TV caption said Ganna was 19 seconds behind but the stopwatch said eight and closing.
Into Sanremo and the dawning realisation that somebody had to win the race, like the feeling of awakening while still in a dream, as ahead a painted line marked the end of the trance. But the thrill only grew as Ganna was chasing like a homing missile and caught the pair with 750 metres to go. As the trio tried to get the measure of each other Van der Poel launched with 250m to go and took a few metres. A stampeding Ganna began to close the gap but it was over and Van der Poel sat up to celebrate.
The Verdict
Van der Poel wins, the predicted result. Pogačar attacked on the Cipressa, a predicted scenario too. Yet this was the script being rewritten, the consensus shattered. Finally an attack on the Cipressa and a decisive one too. This set up a delirious thirty minutes of sport where three riders wrote the rest of the peloton out of the story. Each would have made a worthy winner, their triumph ennobled who stood next to them on the podium. Pick among the trio and the outcome would surely be the most thrilling edition of the race this century.
As Van der Poel joins the rare club of double victors, he can look back at the perfect race. After a week of restraint in Tirreno-Adriatico, he managed his efforts just right on the day. In place for the Cipressa, he was just able to mark Pogačar’s every move and even put in his own attack on the Poggio which seemed telling, as if he doubted his own sprint. Ganna rode to his best too, gravity denied him from matching Pogačar on the Cipressa and Poggio but his indefatigable pursuit had RAI TV’s commentators in rapture and spurred the other two on to compounded the suspense.
Lastly, for Pogačar third place again, and his fourth top-five. There could be popularity in losing after the certainty of Strade Bianche, this time he was the catalyst of the race, but beaten. After today he can see a path to victory and it might be third time lucky for UAE coming into the Cipressa as a unit next year. But who knows if a tailwind will help prise the race apart because even Pogačar can’t make the weather.
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