Van der Poel unpacked with a solid number and shot to victory in Milan-Sanremo. Top favorite Tadej Pogacar just fell off the podium, but doesn’t regret his attempts to attack. He would even like to pay special tribute to a teammate: “I have to thank Wellens for his perfect work.”
Pogacar is optimistic about the coming weeks: “I’m full of confidence for the upcoming races”
“I have no regrets. I had a goal today and that was to attack after my team’s work. My team-mates really did a perfect job. I definitely have to thank Tim (Wellens), he got my attack on the Poggio was very well prepared. Unfortunately, I wasn’t strong enough to go alone. When Van der Poel countered, I couldn’t follow. He was also stronger than us on the descent – he sprinted after every corner, we couldn’t do that. Today the best won. I knew beforehand that it would be difficult to win, but I look forward to the next races with confidence.”
Tim Wellens is optimistic after his match: “I’m glad I was able to do something for the team”
Wellens has a good feeling about his Milan-Sanremo. “I had good legs today and I hope to keep them for as long as possible.” It was also a good day for UAE Team Emirates, although their leader just missed out on the podium. “We wanted one copy paste since last year on the Poggio. Maybe it could be a little faster on the Cipressa, but it’s not that easy. Pogacar kept urging us to go full throttle because there were still a lot of drivers left. I myself had to go full throttle until 6.5 kilometers from the finish. I’m glad that I was able to mean something to the team because normally I wouldn’t start here due to my busy schedule.”
Arnaud De Lie: “I didn’t feel good for a whole day”
21-year-old De Lie was about to give up the role on the Cipressa, and he had a very clear reason for doing so. “I didn’t feel good all day,” said the Lotto Dstny driver. “However, we were one of the first teams to climb the Cipressa. It was good for my first time.”
But higher up the climb, De Lie had to let go, willy-nilly. He doesn’t apologize for that. “As UAE Team Emirates picked up the pace, I just didn’t feel good enough. I felt a bit sick after Paris-Nice, but I don’t want to look for excuses because it’s getting better.” De Lie is also looking forward to his next match, which he would like to be back in. “I’m learning something new every day and Today is one of those days again and I want to get a little better in Gent-Wevelgem.”
Source : HLN
