"It’s fantastic, but you have to dare to make your move at that moment. It’s typical Van der Poel," adds De Cauwer in agreement, noting how such a move may have a lasting effect felt deeper into the Spring, when Van der Poel and Pogacar next renew their rivalry. "This will definitely carry over to the
Tour of Flanders."
"But it’s not a disaster, you know. It’s not like Van der Poel dropped him on the Poggio. Though, I do feel that from now on, Van der Poel will always go to the line with Pogacar. He’ll beat him," Vannieuwkerke adds. "Because Pogacar beating Van der Poel in a sprint in the E3 or the Tour of Flanders? That’s not going to happen. He’s going to have to drop him. That much is clear."
One of the other hopefuls in Flanders is likely to be De Cauwer and Vannieuwkerke's compatriot
Wout van Aert. On the evidence of Milano-Sanremo 2025 though, the Sporza experts admit things don't look good for the Team Visma | Lease a Bike star.
"I think some serious work will need to be done on a mountain in Tenerife. Wout van Aert is on notice: he’ll have to be better than what we’ve seen from him last year," notes Vannieuwkerke. "Also, keep an eye on the team around Van der Poel. Kaden Groves could become very important, and they also have Jasper Philipsen and Gianni Vermeersch. With a much smaller budget, they’ll be able to compete with UAE this spring."