Sanremo, same as last year? Van der Poel adds caveat: ‘We had the perfect wind on the Cipressa’

At the very least, Van der Poel is satisfied with where his legs are. “My form is good enough to try to win again, yes,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. Is he at his absolute best? “It’s not easy to answer that. I don’t know. But I can repeat that I’m at a very good level, and I’m happy with that.”

He will need that top level, too. Milan-San Remo is not a race you win unless you are at your very best — not even Van der Poel. “Of course I don’t know whether I’ll win, but I think I’m ready. I’m pleased with the preparation I’ve done and with my performance in Tirreno-Adriatico. I even felt good on the climbs.” The Alpecin-Premier Tech rider used Tirreno, at times quite literally, as race training.

“During the stages, we did interval efforts and race simulations, which I need to reach top condition. I was looking for that extra dose of intensity that you only find in competition, when you go all-in to win. It’s very difficult for me to recreate that in training, and Tirreno has always been useful in the final part of my build-up.”

Where Milan-San Remo used to be a race that only really exploded in the final eight kilometres, Pogacar and Van der Poel changed that in 2025. It immediately turned the finale into one of the most attractive in the sport. “Making comparisons is not always easy, but the last Sanremo was certainly extraordinary. In short, the Classicissima is a race everyone wants, the race everyone looks forward to. Unique, in one word.”

So will it blow apart on the Cipressa again? “Well, the scenario will be almost the same as everyone expects. But...” Van der Poel paused for a moment. “What happened in 2025 is not something that can be repeated every year. We had the perfect wind on the Cipressa, and even on the way to the Poggio. If it had been the other way around, it would have been a completely different story. The same applies in 2026.”

Van der Poel is not looking only at Pogacar, either. Filippo Ganna finished second last year and once again looks to be in strong form. “I saw him at Tirreno-Adriatico, and if there are no surprises, he could be a contender for victory. Sanremo is perfect for him.”