"It's a better opportunity for Tadej to make a difference" - Wout Van Aert ready for Pogacar attack on Cipressa

Team VIsma | Lease a Bike began Milano-Sanremo with several leaders, however with an important man down as Matthew Brennan fell ill ahead of the race. Whilst Matteo Jorgenson and Christophe Laporte both carry strong form and are good options for a top result, most eyes will ultimately be on Wout Van Aert as he pursues a return to the big victories in a race where Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar are expected to be at their best as well.

The Belgian hasn't been in Sanremo for a few years now, usually prioritizing the cobbled classics, however he knows that what he should expect this Saturday on the Ligurian coast shouldn't be too different from what he saw on TV last year.

"I expect a similar scenario, with the UAE team definitely going for it on the Cipressa. The climb is probably a little tougher than the Poggio, so it's a better opportunity for Tadej to make a difference," Van Aert said in a pre-race interview. "Our first goal is to be ready there and try to follow."

Ultimately that is the main goal, because positioning at the bottom of Cipressa can make or break anyone's race. Van Aert's struggles with positioning have been a developing storyline over the past two years, and so Visma has deployed lots of resources in classics specialists to aid, hoping they can deliver the Belgian and the other Visma riders to the front at the key moments of the race.

The team could have benefited from having Matthew Brennan present as a pure sprinter choice which would allow the team to race very conservatively, but ultimately they won't get that privilege: "I was already one of the leaders. So the pressure certainly wasn't on our young talent, but obviously with him behind us, things might have been different tactically, and it's a shame, given the strength of our team, that he didn't feel well."