Oscar Freire reveals advice he has already given UAE ahead of Pogacar-Van der Poel Cipressa showdown
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Follow us on GoogleUAE Team Emirates-XRG clearly mean business ahead of Milan-Sanremo. Tadej Pogacar is desperate to add the Monument to his palmarès, and everything at the Emirati team is geared towards that goal on Saturday. Three-time winner Oscar Freire, father of Marcos Freire from the UAE development setup, has now offered some unsolicited advice.
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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.
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Freire offers Milan-Sanremo advice without holding back
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.
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Tom van der Salm (27) comes from the charming town of Zeilberg (Deurne) in the Netherlands and has been working as editor-in-chief & journalist at IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, In de Leiderstrui, since 2019. He travels with the peloton from the Tour de France to the AlUla Tour and from the World Championships in Rwanda or Canada to the Zilvermeercross in Mol. In his spare time he enjoys playing football, mountain biking, running, walking with his Labrador/Stabyhoun, investing, holidays, (specialty) beers, reading, cooking and watching sports & documentaries!
Contact: [email protected]
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Latest Comments
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- The Giro-Tour double is a massive ask, even for the very best. Pogačar made it look almost routine in 2024, but that’s hardly a sensible benchmark for everyone else!pedalpowe2903-11-2026
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- Finishing on the same day the men race Stage 20 is a nice touch, but I hope the women’s race gets plenty of coverage too.pedalpowe2903-11-2026
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- Seixas has said he’s bored with the transfer talk, so maybe the article could give more space to the racing itself. He’s under contract until 2027; there’s no need to turn every appearance into a signing saga.velodromevirtuoso103-11-2026