“Del Toro is riding strongly, but Tadej is their clear leader” - Mathieu van der Poel sees UAE’s Milano-Sanremo threat taking shape at Tirreno-Adriatico
Cycling
Mathieu van der Poel believes the dramatic gravel finale of Stage 2 at Tirreno-Adriatico offered an early glimpse of the tactical battle that could unfold later this month at Milano-Sanremo.
The Alpecin-Premier Tech leader powered to victory in San Gimignano after launching his attack on the rain-soaked gravel sector before narrowly beating Isaac del Toro and Giulio Pellizzari in a tense uphill sprint. Yet beyond the stage result itself, the performance of Del Toro particularly caught the Dutchman’s attention as the peloton began to look ahead to the first Monument of the season.
“Del Toro is riding strongly, but Tadej is their clear leader,” Van der Poel said in conversation with Het Laatste Nieuws.
Tirreno finale hints at Sanremo dynamics
The chaotic approach to the gravel sector in Tuscany forced teams to fight fiercely for position, a situation that often mirrors the frantic run into the Cipressa at Milano-Sanremo.
Positioning proved decisive once again. Van der Poel entered the sterrato near the front before launching the acceleration that split the race, while several general classification contenders were caught behind crashes or poor placement in the bunch.
Matteo Jorgenson, who had been among those reacting to the initial move, crashed on the slippery gravel, while Thymen Arensman also fell later in the sector as the race fractured behind the leading trio.
Del Toro, however, was able to respond to the decisive moment, bridging across to Van der Poel before Pellizzari joined the pair to form the group that ultimately decided the stage.
That ability to follow and contribute to such a high-intensity move is precisely why Van der Poel believes the young Mexican could play an important supporting role for Tadej Pogacar when the peloton arrives in Sanremo.
UAE likely to reshape Cipressa approach
Last year, Pogacar’s team attempted to blow the race apart on the Cipressa with a powerful lead-out designed to set up the Slovenian’s attack. That move relied heavily on Tim Wellens and Jhonatan Narvaez, two riders who will not be present this year because of injury.
Their absence means UAE Team Emirates - XRG will need different riders to control the climb and raise the tempo if they attempt a similar strategy.
Van der Poel believes Del Toro could be central to that plan. “Knowing what happened on the Cipressa last year with such a big lead out from his team for Tadej, Del Toro could play a big role there this year and make the climb even harder.”
At the same time, the Dutchman stressed that Milano-Sanremo rarely follows a script. “I already said last year that the outcome mostly depends on details.”
Mathieu van der Poel outsprints Ganna and Pogacar to win Milano-Sanremo 2025
Conditions could still reshape the race
Even the strongest team in the peloton cannot fully dictate how the race unfolds, Van der Poel pointed out, highlighting how wind conditions on the Cipressa can dramatically alter the tactical possibilities. “If there’s a headwind on the Cipressa that Saturday, even Team UAE won’t be able to do what they did last year.”
For now, the Dutchman’s focus remains on completing the Italian stage race before turning fully toward the Monument. “What is certain is that Tadej is incredibly strong and his team holds the key to Sanremo,” Van der Poel added. “But there are still ten days until then, and a lot can happen. First, we need to finish this stage race and stay healthy.”
For now, Tirreno-Adriatico continues to offer clues about the shape of the peloton ahead of the spring’s first Monument.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- Congrats! It is done so now is time for CX.averagecyclist15-11-2026
- It's going to happen at some point. It will happen to Tadej as well, we all get older. Jonas was in pretty great form at the tour. I still consider him a top two or three cyclist in the world, until he's not.awp15-11-2026
- mij, I am not so sure of that. I have been on a spine ward at a Denver hospital that had quite a few spinal injuries from mountain biking.BDBigGuy15-11-2026
- Pogi takes care of his teammates in races and training. Tadej Pogačar is widely praised within the cycling peloton for his fair and egalitarian leadership, actively supporting his UAE teammates both on the road during races and behind the scenes at training camps. Rather than acting like an untouchable superstar, he has intense team loyalty by sharing daily chores, giving up personal glory to help domestiques, and publicly praising their sacrifices. Unlike some Grand Tour contenders, like Vingegaard, who occasionally train away from their squads, Pogi consistently attends team training camps alongside his domestiques, making the exact same sacrifices to build friendship. I love how Pogačar shares his teammates-domestiques, either when they succeed or win in races or when they simply just do a good job for him. It has to be a great moral boost for them. And then they work even harder and go even deeper for Pogi. This is teamwork.PogiSloFans15-11-2026
- Yeah, what he said!Lozza15-11-2026
- I’m sure Jasper Philipsen would disagree with you.Lozza15-11-2026
- Article says he was “out for a spin around the town”, implying not off-road.Lozza15-11-2026
- let’s be honest, Alpecin is all about one rider - MVDP. I’m sure he gets whatever he needs, the rest get the scraps.mij15-11-2026
- there are more vicious injuries on a road bike than a mountain bike far and away.mij15-11-2026
- That'll be one crazy rider
Rafionain-Glas15-11-2026
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