Jasper Philipsen wins incredible 2024 Milano-Sanremo! Pogacar fails to go solo; Michael Matthews and Tadej Pogacar close podium

The 2024 edition of Milano-Sanremo was perhaps the most exciting in recent years. Tadej Pogacar, Mathieu van der Poel, Matej Mohoric and Tom Pidcock all attacked, but it was a sprint finish that decided the race where Jasper Philipsen took the biggest win of his career.

The almost 300-kilometer long race is one that every year delivers the most intense drama. Starting the day 10 riders went up the road with high ambitions together. Mirco Maestri, Sergio Samitier, Davide Baldaccini, Valerio Conti, Alessandro Tonelli, Samuele Zoccarato, Davide Bais, Andrea Pietrobon, Kyrylo Tasrenko and Romain Combaud.

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Among these, several teammates. The group collaborated very well and kept a high pace all throughout the pace which as a consequence, forced the peloton to ride an average of over 45Km/h all day long which ultimately caused a lot of damage, that would be felt later on in the day.

A few teams kept the breakaway under control, but into the Tre Capi UAE Team Emirates specifically sent Domen Novak to do quite a bit of work. A small crash saw a few riders dropped; but the likes of Christophe Laporte and Alexander Kristoff also began to lose contact with the peloton; a clear sign of the pace that was being set in the smaller ascents.

Entering the Cipressa the team took over once again, having Alessandro Covi, Isaac Del Toro and Tim Wellens destroying the peloton. UAE did not have much firepower towards the end but the pace remained high in the descent as Lidl-Trek hit the front and the breakaway was caught.

Davide Bais attacked at the end of the descent once again, caught a few kilometers later as the brutal fight for position into the Poggio began. Tudor entered the climb in front, but after a slowdown Tim Wellens hit the front with Pogacar in the wheel with 8 kilometers to go and Pogacar finally attacked with 6.5 kilometers to go in the steepest section of the climb, but was followed by a few riders.

The pace slowed down as Lidl-Trek then took to the front, but by surprise Pogacar sharply accelerated with 5.8 kilometers to go getting a worrying gap right away. Mathieu van der Poel sprinted across the gap arriving right at the summit, with a group of around 10 riders only a few seconds behind.

Pogacar led down the descent as Tom Pidcock and Matej Mohoric moved up. Mohoric made an extremely dangerous move at the end of the descent but knowing this - as he won similarly in 2022 - Mathieu van der Poel reacted and a few riders rode across. Matteo Sobrero moved right after, followed by Tom Pidcock who attacked at the entrance of the final kilometer.

It was an excruciating finale, with Jasper Stuyven leading out Mads Pedersen. Pedersen and Matthews began their sprint head-to-head, and Jasper Philipsen jumped from Matthews' wheel to take his first monument win right on the line; with Matthews and Pogacar finishing second and third.

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