Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico are over and it's time to look ahead to Milan-San Remo, the first Monument Classic of the year, which on Saturday will see the strongest riders of the World Tour at the start. There will be Pogacar, Van der Poel, Van Aert and Philipsen, but considering what we saw last week, everything suggests that the battle will once again be concentrated on the Poggio.

Mathieu van der Poel is undoubtedly the rider who impressed most at Tirreno-Adriatico, thanks to two stage victories achieved at San Gimignano and Martinsicuro. It's also worth remembering his victory at the Omloop Nieuwsblad, a race in which the former world champion made his seasonal debut. Van der Poel is feeling good and has no difficulty in talking about his sparkling form. "I'm satisfied with my performances this week. On Friday I felt very good even on the climbs, so I'm certainly satisfied with my form – the Dutchman told VTM – I don't know if I'm in my best form, but I certainly feel very good".

It's especially on the climbs that the Dutchman impressed on several occasions this week and everything suggests he's done his dress rehearsal for the Poggio. The Dutchman has already won Milan-San Remo and will try to repeat himself again this year. In 2023 we saw him overtake our Filippo Ganna and Wout van Aert, while last year he was a missile when on via Roma he crossed the finish line once again ahead of Ganna and Tadej Pogacar who with his team had tried to make the difference already on the Cipressa.

"Next week I just need to fine-tune a few things and then it should go well. It's difficult to say if I'm in my best form ever, but I'm certainly satisfied with my condition". Van der Poel thinks the race will unfold like the last editions, so not with a group sprint but with just a few riders, those who managed to resist the attacks of the best. "I expect the same scenario as in previous years. Last year Tadej Pogacar was already very close to victory, but this year too we'll need the right wind to try like in 2025".

Looking at the rest of spring, it's clear however that the Dutchman would like to win the Ronde again, that Monument Classic, which for riders like him represents something unique: "I'd prefer to win the Tour of Flanders for the fourth time rather than Milan-San Remo for the third time".