Milan-Sanremo 2023, van der Poel wins. Ganna according to Corriere.it

An immense Mathieu van der Poel won the Milan-San Remo more beautiful, more noble, more compelling than recent years. Even in spite of an expected and predictable race script (everything was decided in the last two minutes of the ascent of the hillockas often happens) the 114th Race of the Two Seas it was a challenge between giants. And among the giants there is Philip Gannasecond at the finish line after anticipating none other than Van Aert and the Martian Pogacar: his performance makes us understand how the cuirassier from Verbania can get out of his noble dimension as a champion of the track and the time trial to aim for road racing.

Van der Poel’s counterattack

In a very fast stage right from the first meters due to the favorable wind (average close to 46 km/h), the race was decided two kilometers from the brow of the Poggio, when (pulled by teammate Tim Wellens) Tadej Pogacar placed the decisive sprint he had planned, immediately breaking up the group but without surprising all the opponents. In fact, three of the greats of cycling answered him: Wout Van Aert, Mathieu Van der Poel and an immense Filippo Ganna, the quickest to take the Slovenian’s wheel. A hundred meters later, Van der Poel (although he had returned last) started a counterattack by skipping a Pogacar that didn’t seem to have the special legs of the very first weeks of a season in which he won nine races. At that point, behind him, it was Ganna who pulled the two companions in pursuit of the Dutchman, contending for the gap in 8” at the brow.

«Special race»

In the super technical Poggio descent, no one was able to mend the hole compared to the Dutchman who dominates the bike like few others: not Ganna who, due to his size, was already very good at not losing ground, not Van Aert and Pogacar, super downhill , but not 100% in a series of turns in which legs were needed to be able to raise. While Van der Poel triumphed (second classic monument for him after the Tour of Flanders, which he won twice) Ganna was superb in anticipating the sprint of two faster than him, conquering an historic second place. Fourth place for a very quick Pogacar in complimenting the winner, 5th and 6th for the Danes Kragh Andersen and Pedersen. So Van Der Poel after the finish: «It’s a special race, which everyone would like to win – said the Alpecin captain – but also so difficult to win. I won it as everyone would like. At Tirreno-Adriatico I didn’t hide, I simply wasn’t at the level I wanted. But it helped me to train».