"Van der Poel remains more of a favorite than Pogacar" - Jan Bakelants argues Dutchman is still the man to beat in Flanders

Milano-Sanremo showed a Tadej Pogacar that was stronger than ever before in the Italian monument and it is legitimate to question if that will translate into the other monuments. If so, he might be unbeatable at the Tour of Flanders; however in Jan Bakelants' eyes, Sanremo did not change the outlook of Flanders where Mathieu van der Poel should still be favourite.

“The fact that Van der Poel had to drop back on the Poggio did surprise me, because I hadn't expected it there anymore," Bakelands said in words to Het Laatste Nieuws. On the Cipressa, the most difficult climb, the Dutchman held on after the attack of the World Champion. But the extra effort and the small hand injury he endured later on cost him when the race entered its final minuts.

"I did feel that he didn't give the impression of last year on the Cipressa. He was clearly pushed to the limit by Pogacar. It always looks so clean with Van der Poel, which makes you keep speaking in two words. But it didn't go as smoothly as last year".

Ultimately the Dutchman was caught by the peloton on the descent off the Poggio, but nevertheless still sprinted to eighth place on the day, showing that he hadn't cracked. He will take to the start of the E3 Saxo Classic this Friday as the ultimate favourite and it is expected that he defends his title.

The former pro believes that van der Poel's difficulties might have been from the larger effort this year, better adapted to riders like Pogacar and Tom Pidcock who are much more adapted to longer climbs and constant efforts.

“Van der Poel is of course ten kilograms heavier than Pogacar, so every second they ride faster means digging a little deeper into their reserves. I don't think he was worse than last year, but that it was just going even faster.”

Hence Bakelants remains sceptic that Pogacar will be stronger than the Alpecin-Premier Tech rider in the seecond monument of the spring, in less than two weeks' time. “I wouldn't draw too big conclusions from Milano-Sanremo.

"If Van der Poel should be worried at all, many others would be better off just not starting. As far as I'm concerned, Van der Poel remains more of a favorite than Pogacar in the Tour of Flanders, and Pogacar is his main challenger in that race. That hasn't changed for me after Sanremo," he concluded.