"I'm disappointed with my sprint and think I should have at least been on the podium" - Mads Pedersen settles for fourth place at La Primavera

Mads Pedersen had high expectations at the start of Milan-Sanremo, but in the end there was no more than a fourth place for the Lidl-Trek leader. His team was among those that took control of the race early, with Jasper Stuyven playing a key role in the final sprint where he brought Pedersen to a great position, yet the Dane couldn't find enough power in his legs after almost 300 kilometers of racing.

"We just tried to follow," Stuyven said after the race. "Everyone was waiting for Tadej Pogacar to start, but then the scenario occurred that he could not get away immediately. You saw that in the last five hundred meters of the Poggio and the descent, because when we reached the flat strip towards the Via Roma it could still go in any direction."

Stuyven then positioned himself in front of his leader, knowing that Mathieu van der Poel was leading Philipsen towards the sprint. The Dane seemed to be on his way to victory, but was eventually remounted by Philipsen, Pogacar and Michael Matthews. "The legs have spoken, but we did everything we had to do. The icing on the cake is missing, but I think we should remember the positive and that is that Mads and I are ready for the coming weeks," adds Stuyven.

Pedersen needs a little longer to come to the positive. "I'm happy with how we rode, but I'm disappointed with my sprint and think I should have at least been on the podium. With the help I received from Jasper and the boys, I should have at least finished in the top three. That just makes me more disappointed in myself."