All eyes were on one Slovenian, Tadej Pogačar and he launched a flurry of attacks on the Poggio. It didn’t work for him but had the effect of shredding an already reduced lead group. Over the top of the climb Michael Matthews was leading the pursuit and having done his turn Matej Mohorič overtook him on his watch to catching the four riders in front and then he went clear. This was the moment the race was won.
This Saturday’s Milan-Sanremo is all about is tense finish, the longest race of the year that’s often down to the smallest of differences and a race where every pedal stroke counts. The list of contenders and pretenders is long with grand tour contenders, classics specialists and sprinters all starting with ambitions. Who will ride the perfect race?
The weekly update. Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico have made it a bonanza week for points and the big budget teams have thrived, while BikeExchange, Arkéa-Samsic and DSM have scored well too.
Jumbo-Visma had enjoyed a strong week so far. Primož Roglič had gained time on the opening day, beaten all his GC rivals in the time trial on Wednesday, took the yellow jersey on Thursday after chasing down attacks from several rivals, and then won the summit finish on Saturday. However on the last stage he was isolated and looked vulnerable. Wout van Aert was there to shepherd him and this was the decisive moment of the race.
The traditional final stage is back after a two year hiatus. There’s a twist as the climb of the Col d’Eze uses a much steeper side road.
The Paris-Nice summit finish, a big day for the GC as Primož Roglič takes on all the challengers. If you want to watch, don’t miss the early finish.
A scenic stage in Provence, but the Mistral wind is up and it could be a tricky day for all.
A tough mountain stage awaits, a big test for the new race leader Wout van Aert and an opportunity for plenty of others. There are plenty of candidates for the stage win, the kind of day where writing a preview with picks for the day’s win feels too confusing and you just want to sit back and see what happens. Still, read on if you want…
After some stages for sprinters and classics contenders, a day for the time trial specialists and overall contenders.
The weekly look at the three year team rankings. If you’re in a hurry, the summary version is Cofidis and Lotto-Soudal are still in the relegation zone but the Belgian team is closing the gap to Bike Exchange-Jayco and Israel. Meanwhile Team DSM must be getting concerned.