This Thursday, Tadej Pogacar, who has not competed since the Strade Bianche -he healed from his fall and avoided the bad weather of the Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico-, did a very special training. There is nothing random in the Slovenian champion, who not only excels and makes history for his qualities but also for taking care of every detail alongside his director Josean Fernández Matxin. Along the roads of San Remo, he was accompanied by Niccolò Bonifazio, a local resident, former Lampre and Bahrain rider, who became famous for descending the Cipressa in the 2019 edition at over 56 mph.
Pogacar studies the descent of the penultimate climb of the Milan-San Remo, one of the few races that resist him. Because it is not precisely designed for his characteristics. "It's the one that will take me to the grave... I'm so close, but it's so far away. It's incredible," he said in a podcast a few months ago. The longest race on the calendar (289 kilometers from Pavia), the first Monument of the season, is an ode to tactics and opportunism, to skill and speed. The leader of UAE Team Emirates - XRG failed last year against the duo formed by Mathieu van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen. And he knows that an attack on the Cipressa probably won't be enough.
The Slovenian, who has flirted with the treacherous cobblestones of Paris-Roubaix, is seeking his eighth Monument. He has won Il Lombardia four times, Liege-Bastogne-Liege twice, and the Tour of Flanders once. He also boasts three Strade Bianche victories. They say that the Classicissima is the easiest Monument to finish but the hardest to win... Eddy Merckx did it seven out of the 10 times he participated.
Also against Poggi is the fact that not many rainbow jersey wearers triumphed on Via Roma. Only five world champions, the last one 42 years ago (Beppe Saronni in 1983). He knows that to triumph, he has to arrive alone. Or at least get rid of the main sprinters. And he will have barely two bullets to unleash his watts.
The key is in the first one. At 25 kilometers from the finish, the Cipressa is climbed, 5.6 kilometers at an average of 4.1%. There last year, he tried to make the selection with his UAE teammates, but they were not demanding enough to drop the two Alpecin riders.
The goal, as Matxin acknowledged, was to complete the climb in less than nine minutes (the record is held by Gabriele Colombo, 9:19 in 1996). And with Covi, Del Toro, and Wellens, they stayed at 9:35. Pogacar's subsequent attack on the Poggio was not decisive. Philipsen, with the invaluable help of Van der Poel, returned the Classicissima to the sprinters by winning the sprint against a group of 12. Pogacar, pure frustration, finished third behind Michael Matthews in the fastest edition in history.
"I already know the end of the route very well, and we hope to shine in the race. Can we win? It certainly won't be easy, but we will try with all our strength," said the Slovenian this week, who has changed teams for the assault. Wellens and a Del Toro, who comes after winning the Milan-Turin, will be there. Also Laengen, Narváez, Novak, and the giant Politt. Philipsen arrives despite suffering a hard fall this Wednesday in the Nokere Koerse. Other fuori classe like Biniam Girmay, Jonathan Milan, Tom Pidcock, Pedersen, or Filippo Ganna also pose a threat. Among the Spaniards, Alex Aranburu and Roger Adriá will seek to emulate Óscar Freire and Miguel Poblet.