"Scared? No, I'm not" - Mathieu van der Poel ready to take on Tadej Pogacar at Milano-Sanremo
Cycling
Mathieu van der Poel is the defending champion of Milano-Sanremo and a big contender for victory this Saturday. Tadej Pogacar will be his main competitor in the Italian classic but he is ready for the expected battle at the Poggio di Sanremo.
"If I could change something, I would like a little more peace. No, I am very happy with how the preparation went. Ideally I would have ridden a stage race for Sanremo, but last year it was a bit rushed working towards the Strade Bianche," Van der Poel said in a press release ahead of the race. "I can race well even without competitions. Although I think I can do just that little bit more. But if I can win one monument without rhythm, it is Milano-Sanremo."
Two years ago van der Poel began his season in this very race after a winter affected by a back injury, and rode to third. There is no doubt that he is a rider well suited to this race; and last year he absolutely thrived every time the riders faced long distances.
He will have to deal with a strong UAE Team Emirates, who will certainly push the pace from early to try and shred the field. Tadej Pogacar, who won in incredible style at Strade Bianche, will be the Dutchman's biggest rival on the road. "He has impressed again. But scared? No, I'm not. It was punishment, but it didn't shock me. We all know what he is capable of. It cannot be compared to Saturday's race. He is the favorite, like in every race he starts."
Van der Poel made the trip over to Italy some days ago and explored the route. He's given the descents the proper attention they deserve; taking into consideration that downhill attacks have on occasion decided the winner here.
"That's why I explored again. The descents of the Cipressa and Poggio are important to freshen up. Not at full speed, of course, because then you quickly get into trouble with traffic We'll see how it goes," he concludes.
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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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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- It doesnt take a genius to understand that Pogi is 1 level above and Pogi is younger that Jonas, so Jonas will not win under ordinary circumstances. Pogi has to crack hard for Jonas to win. It doesn't matter whether you defend Jonas or not , facts remain facts. Jonas himself says his numbers are better than 2022/2023, so Jonas is more or less optimized and we are just see the stochastic variation due to other factors. I think he will retire along with Pedersen in WC denmarkabstractengineer13-11-2026
- They only raced each other during the 2026 Tour, but here's a few metrics to look at. Stage 3 (Granollers to Les Angles): Pogačar won the stage, finishing 2 seconds ahead of Vingegaard (2nd). Del Toro finished 24 seconds behind Stage 6 (Pau to Gavarnie-Gedre / Col du Tourmalet): Pogačar won solo, Vingegaard finished 2nd (losing 2:38), and Del Toro finished 3rd (at +2:57, finishing 19 seconds behind Vingegaard). Here, Jonas Vingegaard outclimbed Isaac del Toro by 19 seconds on the mountain stageawp13-11-2026
- your clinging to the past. Jonas was dropped by del toro many times last year and jonas never managed a climbing numers del toro did in dauphine last year -entire year. Trend is also evident theres no discussion your living in the past, its beent he same with jonas for many years now and only developing, meanwhile del toro is rising and developing greatly. This is all obvious stuff and im not even a del toro fan. No point discussing numbers or this i suspect you dont watch much now but rather think its 2022 still cause this aint hard.miguel13-11-2026
- We can go through metrics if you like, Del Toro, who I do admire and support, is not on the same level as Jonas just yet. You will see that in early 2027 if they have any crossover races. I do hope they both race the Giro. You are correct though, Jonas is getting older and will not be able to hand on much longer. I see 2027 as a good year for him. Obviously behind Tadej though.awp13-11-2026
- What wins? Are you LA operating under a pseudonym?mij13-11-2026
- My point is this - Tadej, Remco, Seixas are all the outliers. Many riders don’t hit their peak until 28. It’s way too early to write him off. And the pogi slo guy that hates him - he’s also immature. Ayuso needs time.mij13-11-2026
- Then you need to use ur eyes or head if you have cause del toro already dropped jonas two times and beat him in tdf stages already this year.. Del toro climbed(dauphine) better numbers than jonas did all year too. So ur feelings and wishful thinking doesnt amtter del toro himself has already surpassed jonas infact just facts. Its also very evident for anyone objective that Jonas is declining alot, its just the truth and super obvious.miguel13-11-2026
- None of those victories stand, so there's that,wrsty13-11-2026
- No surprise there; it is British Sycling, yes, with an S
Rafionain-Glas12-11-2026 - I like Del Toro but he's not on the level of Jonas, by a large margin.awp12-11-2026
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Almost time for the first monument of the season. Two more sleeps until @Milano_Sanremo! We are excited for the return of world champion @mathieuvdpoel 🌈 This is our lineup, with obviously Mathieu as the outspoken leader, surrounded by six strong teammates #alpecindeceuninck
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