Often placed, never winner, Tadej Pogacar will today try to win the first monument of the Milan – San Remo season, for that he will have to beat Van der Poel who will be the other big favorite in the race.
13:47 – 150km – Head runners pass the Turchino
The 8 runners of the escape have just passed the top of the Passo del Tarchino. We are more than 3 hours of racing at a speed of 43.8km/h
13:40 – 160km – The Belgians present in the monuments
With the success of Philipsen last year in Milan San Remo, Belgium has 222 success in monuments, it is far ahead of Italy (158 victories), France (62 victories) and the Netherlands (34 victories)
13:33 – 165km – Filippo Ganna Applaudi
The Italian runner of Ineos, second in the Primavera in 2023, is very applauded today by the many spectators on the course. He who represents the best Italian chance today was born in Verbania in the Piedmont not far from Milan.
13:23 – 172km – First difficulty at 17km
While few interesting movements have been made in the peloton, this may change at the first difficulty of the course. The Turcino Passo del Del is only 17km and there is a risk of attending a few upheavals in the peloton on this ascent of 2.4km to 5.3%
13:15 – 175km – Alaphilippe well placed
Julian Alaphilippe is currently in the peloton alongside the favorites of the race including Pogaçar and Van der Poel, the profile of the course corresponds to him well and it will especially not be necessary to bury it very quickly today.
13:05 – 182km – 3’24 “delay on the escape
32 km from the first difficulty of the day (the Torcino) the gap between the escape made up of 8 men (glass, Nencini, Marcellusi, Le Berre, Veistroffer, Stewart, Turconi and Sbaragli) and the peloton remains more than three minutes (3’24 “). Note that Van der Sade got up after his abrupt acceleration at the head of the Peloton.
13:01 – 187km – van der Sande escapes from the peloton
The tempo has changed in the peloton, Tosh van der Sande is trying to escape, but it is difficult to understand the intentions of the Belgian runner of Team Visma | Lease a bike.
12:57 – 190km – Philipsen lessen
A surprise winner last year, the other leader of Alpecin-Deceunink, the Belgian Jasper Philipsen fell heavily on Wednesday in Nokere (Belgium). An uncertain time, he finally took the start of the race this morning but his recent statements did not give up enormous confidence for the fight of first place. “”This fall obviously had an enormous impact on my body (cuts on the hand, superficial injuries and cutters on the right side of the body), it will not be easy, but I want to try my luck. And if I don’t feel very good, I would of course put at the service of the team“”
12:51 – 192km – reunion after 6 months
Tadej Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel have not run in the same race since the 2024 world championship race on September 29. Almost six months have passed and the battle promises to be tough today in the last kilometers between the two big favorites
12:44 – 195km – The last French winners
The latest French laureates from Milan – San Remo are:
- 2019: Julian Alaphilippe
- 2006: Arnaud Démare
- 1995: Laurent Jalabert
- 1989: Laurent Fignon
- 1988: Laurent Fignon
- 1982: Marc Gomez
- 1963: Joseph Groussard
12:37 – 198km – Pogacar has a smile
The Slovenian is very concentrated in his first kilometers of racing in the rain, but he does not hesitate to launch a smile to a few photographers
12:31 – 202km – The Turcino, the first difficulty at 52km
The route is currently quite flat until the first difficulty of the day, the Turcino which is 150km from the finish. This climb is relatively long (26 km), tortuous, with higher percentages towards the summit, accompanied by a ravito area and a dark tunnel where there could be some movements in the peloton.
12:24 – 205km – The Redouble Intensity Rain
While the gap between the breakaway group and the peloton is gradually shrinking, the rain has redoubled in intensity. All the runners have just received anti-cold vests from their managers.
12:19 – 207km – The other outsiders
Behind the trio of favorites made up of Pogacar, Van der Poel and Pedersen, some outsiders can draw their games today. Filippo Ganna (Ineos, Italy), Jonathan Milan (Lidl Trek, Italy), Tom Pidcock (ineos, Great Britain) see the winner of last year Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) can claim the final victory.
12:12 – 212km – A monument to tame for pogacar
The Slovenian Tadej Pogacar who has never won the Classicissima nevertheless remains the favorite of the race. 5th, 4th then 3rd in previous years, the leader of the UAE Emirates, who will have much to face Van Der Poel and Pedersen, made Milan – San Remo the biggest objective of this start to the season as he confessed to the media on Thursday “I know very well the end of the course. As I have seen in recent seasons in recent seasons, several scenarios are possible in the final. We will of course have a plan to place ourselves in the best possible situation. This is a race that we would like to win”