"He just has this crazy amount of confidence" - Armstrong, Bruyneel and Hincapie reflect on Mathieu van der Poel's sprint and Milano-Sanremo disappointment Pidcock

Milano-Sanremo is a race with a whole lineup of huge stars and so inevitably a few will fail to be in contention for the win or a top result. Tom Pidcock was the rider missing in action that Johan Bruyneel did not expect. He, Lance Armstrong and George Hincapie were also impressed with the confidence of Mathieu van der Poel in the final kilometers of the race and the sprint.

"The disappointment of the day for me was Tom Pidcock. i would've expected him to be with these guys, he's a good enough climber," Johan Bruyneel said in The Move podcast. "I don't know with positioning, could've been, but still normally Pidcock I expected him to be with these three guys at least on the Cipressa". The Briton did get affected by a small crash at the bottom of the Cipressa, but it was nevertheless impressive that only two riders could follow an attack on a climb that is realistically speaking much shallower than those of other monuments.

George Hincapie himself was quite stunned with how much impact UAE's Cipressa attack had: "We saw Romain Grégoire as the last man standing and you know, someone like that not even be able to hold the wheel... A relatively insignificant climb, we're talking about 5% and just getting off the wheel..."

Towards the end of the race however those who didn't make it to the front group were not seen much, and those who could climb couldn't use the Poggio to make the difference. In front however the ascent showed Mathieu van der Poel's true current level as he went on the attack himself to try and distance Tadej Pogacar.

But in the final sprint the Dutchman really showed what he was made of for Lance Armstrong: "It was clear that van der Poel was doing the leadout, but we all know Pogacar is fast, specially at the end of a long day like that. Everybody's tired, he can really be fast".

But this was, of course, a big gamble because a sprint at Milano-Sanremo is unlike most during the season according to George Hincapie: "Also he's up there in those hard field sprints. A sprint after 295 kilometers is a lot different than a 200-kilometer sprint. These guys happen to be some of the best classics riders in the world so it was going to be tough, but once you saw van der Poel come over the top of Pogacar at the Poggio he just has this crazy amount of confidence. He started sprinting with 300 meters to go. That stretch after 295 kilometers is one of the hardest in the world".