Naesen heard Alpecin riders shouting: “They wanted Van der Poel to stop”

The final stage of Tirreno-Adriatico had been expected to end in a relatively straightforward bunch sprint, but Van der Poel and Alpecin-Premier Tech had other ideas. The Dutchman drove the pace hard on the climbs and, in doing so, even distanced his own sprinter Jasper Philipsen before the finish.

Chris Horner had already described it as a selfish move by Van der Poel. Now Naesen has also shared his view. “It was impressive, but his move was purely self-interest,” said the Belgian, who could hear Alpecin riders yelling from the peloton. “They were asking him to stop and ease off.”

The Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale rider had already seen an extremely strong Van der Poel all week. “He was impressive throughout the week - he really, really hurt us,” Naesen said. Because of those performances in Italy, he did not need long to make his prediction for Milan-Sanremo.

“Van der Poel has convinced me that he is the number one favorite to win Milan-Sanremo.”

Fellow Belgian and former Naesen teammate Van Avermaet was equally convinced by the Dutchman. “This was one of the best versions of Mathieu I’ve ever seen. What he did to the climbers, on gradients that should be against him because of his weight... The fact he still had something left on the final day - and still wanted to race - says a lot,” Van Avermaet concluded in the podcast.

The two Belgians were also upbeat about the form of Wout van Aert. “He is at a very high level. The level he needs to be at to win races,” Van Avermaet said, making clear that he sees real opportunities for his compatriot. “You’re not going to ride Wout off your wheel on the Cipressa and the Poggio if he is good and in position.”

The former pro also believes the Visma | Lease a Bike rider should lean into his role. “He has to place himself in the underdog position. If he starts with the mindset of: they are not going to drop me, then he can go a very long way,” said the 2017 Paris-Roubaix winner. Naesen was cautiously optimistic as well. “Can Wout win? Absolutely, because he has done it before.” Van Aert won Milan-Sanremo in 2020, just ahead of Julian Alaphilippe.