"I’d really be stressing to Pogacar" - Experts want to see Tadej and Del Toro putting pressure on Mathieu van der Poel.

The Milano-Sanremo that takes place this Saturday is the central topic of all cycling conversations.

With the relentless search for victory in the first Monument of the season by Tadej Pogacar, which has been denied to him over the years by Matej Mohoric (2022), Mathieu van der Poel (2023, 2025) and Jasper Philipsen (2024), UAE Team Emirates – XRG arrives in Italy at full strength, trying to win a race that has repeatedly slipped away from them.

Laurens ten Dam and Thomas Dekker discussed the race on the podcast "Live Slow Ride Fast", talking about the team’s possible strategies.

“In recent years, UAE have not exactly shown themselves to be a tactical miracle team from the car. Of course, it’s easier to win races when you have the best riders, but they’ve already lost a Tour de France from the team car once. And last year’s Giro too, that was recent enough that you can say they simply gave it away.”

“This is the only race that becomes even more exciting when Pogacar is in it? Because he has to blow the race apart so early, already on the Cipressa, otherwise he has no chance.” Ten Dam laughed.

However, the analysts believe there is another rider who could enter the equation: Isaac Del Toro. Del Toro had already said earlier that he was fully prepared to ride in support of the world champion, but Ten Dam would much rather see UAE operate with dual leadership.

“If I were a sports director, I’d really be stressing to Pogacar that the team increases its chances by also playing the Del Toro card and maybe even his own chances too. If Mathieu starts to get nervous at some point and has to close down Del Toro, that’s good for you as well.”

Isaac Del Toro has already won five times this season, with two stage wins and the overall title at the UAE Tour, plus a stage win and the overall victory at Tirreno-Adriatico. The Mexican now leads the UCI World Ranking and seems to have taken another step forward compared to last season.

That is one of the reasons why Thomas Dekker would like to see UAE go into Milano-Sanremo with two cards to play, instead of relying only on Pogacar.

“Mathieu has to chase everything down. He’s already won Sanremo twice: what does second place really mean to him? Then Del Toro rides away and he doesn’t react. The race is so short, and if anyone can read it, it’s him. There are really only two wheels that matter: Del Toro and Pogacar. If it’s not those two, then those two still have to sit up as well.”

Laurens ten Dam, however, says that if UAE uses that strategy, it could backfire.

“Say Del Toro gets away between the Cipressa and the Poggio. Mathieu and Tadej start looking at each other and think: this is it then, let him go. That would actually be annoying for UAE, because then Del Toro gets brought back just in time and someone like Jasper Philipsen or Wout van Aert could win.”

For Ten Dam, there is little doubt that the man to beat will be Mathieu van der Poel, as he won last year and arrives in great form, as shown recently at Tirreno-Adriatico. However, if UAE Team Emirates plays both Pogacar and Del Toro, the Alpecin Premier-Tech rider could be exposed to a level of pressure he has rarely faced before.

“But Mathieu also hasn’t often been put under this much pressure by one opponent,” Ten Dam said. “These two are so evenly matched that they make each other better.”