Mathieu van der Poel leads Alpecin-Deceuninck at Milano-Sanremo. Philipsen, Hermans and Kragh Andersen options for a surprise
Cycling
It was coming and today it's confirmed. Mathieu van der Poel will be racing Milano-Sanremo and will be the headliner for an Alpecin-Deceuninck lineup which includes several wildcards for a strong result.
The Dutchman has been showing modest form, however will nevertheless be an option for La Primavera. Van der Poel was third last year on his first race day of the season. It's definitely a race that suits his abilities, with the Poggio likely to be decisive in the race. However, van der Poel, who was 15th at Strade Bianche, won't be the only card for the Belgian team.
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A lot of talk has been had for Jasper Philipsen, who's won two stages recently at Tirreno-Adriatico. Having begun his season only in late February, the Belgian has been showing strong form and will be focusing on the spring classics. Gianni Vermeersch, Kristian Sbaragli and Silvan Dillier will be racing in a supportive role.
Soren Kragh Andersen has looked in good form form at Paris-Nice this past week, and after finishing seventh last year - where he attacked on the Poggio - he will be a threat. Quinten Hermans will also be starting his classics block now and will be an outsider for a result.
Alpecin - Deceuninck for Milano-Sanremo: Mathieu van der Poel, Jasper Philipsen, Quinten Hermans, Soren Kragh Andersen, Gianni Vermeersch, Kristian Sbaragli and Silvan Dillier.
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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- Seriously do you think when somebody gets into a serious accident, the ambulance is called by the hurt person?🤦 there is always a buddy system in place for a risky job. police , firefighters etc so that if someone gets hurt, the other call that in.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
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#MilanoSanremo 🇮🇹 FIRST MONUMENT COMING UP! 🥹 ➡️ Here is our line-up for #LaPrimavera #AlpecinDeceuninck
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