Tirreno-Adriatico is over and next Saturday Mathieu Van der Poel will be among the favorites for Milan-Sanremo, the first Monument Classic of the season. The Dutch champion has already won the Spring Classic in 2023, was third in 2022, and last year decisively helped his teammate Philipsen win the race.

Van der Poel is a unique rider, among the absolute best in one-day races. His palmares already includes 5 Monument Classics and next Saturday he will race to win again. "Every Monument Classic is important to me: I know what I still need to do this week to perform well on Saturday. I need to rest, but at the same time, I need to give my body some stimulation."

The former world champion will not stay in Italy to prepare for the Ligurian race and will return to Belgium where he lives. "Yes, I'm going back to Belgium. But not because of the weather. Probably I'll take out my gravel bike a couple of times. Will I do a reconnaissance of the Poggio this week? No, not this time. I think I've seen enough of the Poggio in recent years."

Van der Poel will be one of the favorites to win Milan-Sanremo, but in the team with him will again be Philipsen, one of the world's strongest sprinters. If the race is decided by a sprint, then it's possible that Philipsen becomes the team's lead rider.

The Dutchman will be allowed to race at full speed on the Poggio, but if Philipsen manages to stay in the group, he can play his cards for victory. "Much will depend on how we feel. Last year we showed we can change strategy very quickly, even with a hectic finale, but weather conditions will also determine a lot in the race. If there's a headwind on the Cipressa, I don't think the finale will open up early. But we'll see that at the end of the week - now I just need to focus on resting."

Regarding Tirreno-Adriatico, the Dutchman didn't win any stages, but he feels good and is convinced he can be among the best at Sanremo. "I would have liked to win a stage, but unfortunately it didn't happen. This has nothing to do with my physical condition because I feel really good and I'm exactly where I wanted to be."