Milano-Sanremo 2025, Van Der Poel: "I've already won a lot, but it would be nice to repeat it"

Rome, 21 March 2025 - On paper the hierarchies at home Alpecin-Deceuninck is preferably used for Milan-Sanremo 2025 they see the reigning winner in pole position Jasper Phillipsen, whose recent fall on the occasion of the Nokere Koerse 2025 risks shuffling the cards: if then you call yourself Mathieu van der Poel , Very classic you've already won it in 2023, then it is impossible to be at the start of the first Monument of the year with the simple role of a gregarious, albeit luxurious, man.  

Van Der Poel's statements

  Intercepted by the microphones of CyclingNews, the Dutchman first of all deepened his emotional bond with the race in the program Saturday March 22. "There Milan-Sanremo I've always liked it. As a kid it was one of my favorite races to watch because you never knew it was going to happen. Winning in the velodrome of Roubaix It was beautiful and special, but so was arriving alone at Via Roma. It's a race where he didn't win until he was in the last few dozen meters and that makes it even more unique." Despite what most people think about the two Monument and on the alleged differences in difficulty and spectacle, therefore, Van der Poel combines the emotions experienced in 2023, the year in which he won both the Milan-Sanremo that the Paris-Roubaix, for a success, the latter, repeated in 2024. For the son and grandson of art there is also a desire for revival for the Very classic, but the competition seems fierce and goes far beyond 'just' Tadej pogacar. "It won't be just him to beat, but also Filippo Gana, who in recent years has been among the strongest runners on the knoll. Today he is in great condition and I think that tomorrow he will be right there in the final". However, it is inevitable to consider the world champion as the number one favourite. "Between me and pogacar there is a good relationship that prevents me from talking about rivalry. I always try to show up at the top in the races I am in and if he is there too I know I have to give even more, as happened to Giro delle Fiandre 2023. This cannot be changed: we can only give even more". Therefore, pogacar as a friend, as a rival but also as a stimulus to do your best even for a runner like Van der Poel which, having overcome the 30 years, has put laurels in the cabinet. Of course. "I've reached a point where I've practically achieved all the goals I had set myself and maybe even gone beyond that. Everything that comes to me from now on will be a bonus. For sure - concludes the Dutchman - I want to try to continue winning, maybe bringing home another Monument. I am motivated to do it and I already know that at the Milan-Sanremo I'll have to go beyond 100% of myself to do that."

Read also - World Athletics Championships in China, Diaz gold