UAE manager proud of the show delivered by his team and Tadej Pogacar: "The attack on the Cipressa was the plan"

People were whispering about it but not many could've imagined Tadej Pogacar would actually try it - to attack on Cipressa. At this point, we should be already accustomed to the Slovenian's long-range attacks, but he never ceases to amaze regardless. Today, he once again met his superior in Mathieu van der Poel.

"The attack on the Cipressa was the plan. We wanted to go full throttle uphill," said team manager Mauro Gianetti in post-race interview.

While Tim Wellens and Jhonathan Nárvaez were in the right positions to blow up the race on Cipressa, one man was missing. This week's Milano - Torino winner Isaac Del Toro. "Unfortunately, Del Toro was probably a bit stuck at the back of the peloton, which meant he couldn’t do his turn at the front. Tadej then had to attack maybe a bit too early." Whether the Mexican's presence would've turned the tides of battle? Gianetti doesn't seem to think the 21-year-old would've tipped the scales today.

"But it was a great day, with the three best riders at the front. We were only missing Pedersen," he continues. With those three riders, Gianetti meant Pogacar, Filippo Ganna and Mathieu van der Poel. The latter ultimately came out on top.

It's another podium for Pogacar, yet the victory still seems outside his reach. "It’s okay. We knew that Van der Poel was in super good shape, just like Pipo (Filippo Ganna, ed.). For us, this is a difficult race. But we tried everything. Tadej, as always, raced with a big heart. He delivered a great show."

At UAE Team Emirates - XRG they don’t regret anything, says Gianetti. "The team did everything right and Tadej too. If there are riders who are better than us, we have to acknowledge it. Today Pipo fought like a king. And especially Van der Poel rode a fantastic race. He controlled the race in every situation. He completely deserved this victory."