UAE manager: “I hope Van der Poel always stays true to himself”

Van der Poel already noted during Tirreno-Adriatico that Pogacar will once again hold the key to Sanremo this year and that he’ll need to be at 100 percent. “There will come a day when I’m 1 percent off my game and Tadej will win Sanremo.”

“Pogačar can win if he increases that 1 percent,” says Matxin, the team’s sports architect from the Emirates, with confidence.

At UAE Emirates-XRG, they also have immense admiration for Van der Poel, according to Matxin. “I hope Van der Poel always stays true to himself—a worthy rival, a respectful rival, respected by us, who always competes in the most sportsmanlike manner possible.”

“And if we ever have to beat him, may it be in the same way,” says Matxin. "He is a key rider in professional cycling, who generates so much excitement, just like Tadej.

“Beating him in a race like Milan-San Remo is very difficult. It’s very difficult because he knows Tadej, he knows his own game, but we’ll try to turn the result around this year,” the Spaniard concludes with determination.