Wout van Aert: "Pogacar is the top favourite, if you see how impressively he raced in Paris-Nice"

Wout van Aert has raced Milano-Sanremo against Tadej Pogacar and saw first hand how dangerous he can be. In 2023 the two set off as the two main favourites, something widely accepted among rivals and fans, but van Aert is keen on passing the pressure onto the Paris-Nice winner.

"To be at the start of Milan-San Remo is always a bit scary, but it's one of my favorite races. The course has become more and more developed for attackers in recent years," van Aert said at the team presentation. "Tadej Pogacar is of course one of the favourites, he will definitely attack. But where and when is the question. He will make the course hard.”

Van Aert was one of the riders who responded to Pogacar's many attacks last year, which eventually did not culminate in success as Matej Mohoric escaped to victory on the line. However, he has the experience and a win on his palmarès here in Italy, and he knows very well what to do in order to search a second triumph.

“Last year I shot a lot of gunpowder with that, but actually I couldn't have done it any other way. I'm supposed to have help on the Poggio now. We have to survive that climb with several men.” Although missing some riders, Jumbo-Visma bring in Christophe Laporte who could be equally as dangerous as van Aert at the finish. The presence of Attila Valter and Jan Tratnik should see the duo well protected towards the end.

Van Aert's form has steadily been rising since he began training for the road season, and at Tirreno-Adriatico he showed glimpses of good form - although a crash on stage 4 proved to be quite a hurdle. However, ascents such as the Cipressa and the Poggio are perfect for his powerhouse build, and when it comes to the sprint and the flat roads that lead to it the Belgian should have no weak spot.

“Milan-San Remo is often decided in the last two or three kilometers and then it is an advantage to have another teammate with you, something that has not been possible in recent years. Pogacar is the top favourite, if you see how impressively he raced in Paris-Nice," he concluded.