Oscar Freire reveals advice he has already given UAE ahead of Pogacar-Van der Poel Cipressa showdown

Freire won La Primavera three times for Rabobank, in 2004, 2007 and 2010, so he knows exactly how to ride the Italian Monument. The Spaniard agrees that it is one of the hardest races in cycling to put on your résumé.

“Looking at the results, it’s the hardest Classic to win,” he said to Eurosport Spain. “After me, it took twenty years for someone to win the race twice again… and that was Mathieu van der Poel.”

That immediately brings us to Pogacar’s biggest rival. “I’ve already told Matxin what they need to do,” Freire said strikingly in the build-up to Saturday’s 300-kilometre Italian Classic.

“I’ve ridden Sanremo and the Cipressa many times, and if there’s any lull right after the start of the climb, it always makes things harder. The peloton gets going again, stretches out, and that makes it easier for riders to get away,” he explained from experience.

Freire stressed that a lot still depends on the circumstances, especially the wind. “With a tailwind, you get to the Poggio with energy left. But with a headwind, it’s very difficult for a rider to arrive there alone,” he added.

Advice for UAE, then, but in that sense also advice for the competition.