We must highlight the incredible performance of
Alpecin-Deceuninck as a block. In the first final cut at the Poggio both van der Poel and Soren Kragh Andersen entered and, just in case, Philipsen himself continued in the main pack. "When the gap was created at the Poggio we had well-placed riders in all groups so the situation was perfect for us," he concluded.
In the end the Belgian team was perfectly placed to take a strong result, but van der Poel did not need to play tactics, as he had the power in the Poggio di Sanremo to create a winning gap. Philipsen ended up sprinting through the line in 15th place.