The Belgian Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin) This Saturday he surprised the two big favorites, Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates) and Mathieu van der Poel, and won his first Milan-San Remo by winning after the 288 km route in a very tight sprint with a small group that jumped in the last meters. The Belgian invested a time of almost 6 hours and 15 minutes.
The Alpecin rider beat Australian Michael Matthews (Jayco) and Pogacar to overtake his teammate Van der Poel, 10th this year, in one of the five most prestigious classics on the cycling calendar, also called ‘monuments’. The others, let’s remember, are the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the Giro de Lombardia.
Philipsen won after an avalanche of attacks from the Poggio to the finish line by all the favourites. First was Pogačar, who tried to destroy the race on the downhill, and then the 2022 winner Matej Mohorič (Bahrain Victorious). Bora-Hansgrohe’s Matteo Sobrero made the final move, chased by Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers), and it looked like the Brit could win when he ran away from the Italian.
But all the moves were in vain and Philipsen came from behind as Matthews opened his sprint, slipped between the Australian and the barriers and took the victory.
Belgian Philipsen dominated the flat stages in the final Tour de France. Since Arnaud Démare in 2016, no pure sprinter has won the ‘Classicisima’, which has been dominated in recent years by more attack cyclists and climbers.
Pogacar twice attacked the legendary Poggio, a true springboard, whose summit is 5.5 km from the finish line. But the Slovenian could not leave other favorites, such as Van der Poel, Mads Pedersen or Julian Alaphilippe, who finished in 9th position at the finish line.
Philipsen also scored for Belgium’s 23rd victory in this great classic. “It’s an incredible feeling to win Milan-San Remo. It makes me feel very proud and happy, especially after the advantage that Mathieu van der Poel gave me,” said Philipsen at the finish line.
“It was a fast race all day, but I felt very good the whole time. I believed in myself, but everything had to be perfect. I came back. I’m not used to sprinting after 300 km and can say I’m the difference. I didn’t expect Michael Matthews to be so good, but I’m glad I beat him,” he added.
Final classification:
1. Jasper Philipsen (BEL/ADC) 288.0 km in 6 h 14:44.
(average: 46.2 km/h)
2. Michael Matthews (AUS/JAY) id.
3. Tadej Pogacar (SLO/UAD) id.
4. Mads Pedersen (DEN/LTK) id.
5. Alberto Bettiol (ITA/EFE) id.
6. Matej Mohoric (SLO/TBV) id.
7. Maxim Van Gils (BEL/LTD) id.
8. Jasper Stuyven (BEL/LTK) id.
9. Julian Alaphilippe (FRA/SOQ) id.
10. Mathieu van der Poel (NED/ADC) id.
11. Thomas Pidcock (GBR/IGD) id.
12. Matteo Sobrero (ITA/BOH) id.
13. Casper Pedersen (DEN/SOQ) at 35.
14. Olav Kooij (NED/TJV) at age 35.
15. Laurence Pithie (NZL/GFC) id.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
