Mathieu van der Poel's Milano-Sanremo performance draws praise from around the world - "Rarely have we seen a show of so many cycling champions"

The victory of Mathieu van der Poel in Milano-Sanremo was widely acclaimed, and several newspapers wrote glowing articles about the Dutchman.

Alexandre Roos, the head of cycling at the well-known French sports paper L'Equipe, gave the Dutchman a glowing review in his piece. “Mathieu used to be a crazy dog, who showed off his powers without calculating a course. This time he waited like an old cat, by first eating the other's plate empty. He took out his sword only when his rivals were already choking, and then with a controlled descent held off the other three best riders in the world. Van der Poel gave the gem that is Milano-Sanremo all its beauty.”

La Gazzetta dello Sport had words of admiration for the Alpecin-Deceuninck cyclist. “It was an opportunity that will not be repeated this season, as Van der Poel, Tadej Pogacar, Wout van Aert and Filippo Ganna will take different paths. Rarely have we seen a show of so many cycling champions.”

Spanish newspaper Marca wrote, “In two weeks of the attack, the Dutchman has gone from not being able to answer breakaways in Strade Bianche to leaving Pogacar behind on the Poggio after 290 kilometers of Milan-Sanremo. It is the achievement of someone who has been chosen to convey his passion for cycling to the fans.”

The Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper was not far behind, putting out its own report. “The world champion cross distinguished himself from a quartet of favourites. Van der Poel triumphed in an inimitable way against his fellow favourites, by showing himself to be a master of timing and tactical choices, just like at the World Championships.”