Cycling: Jasper Philipsen won the Monument Milan – Sanremo. The Belgian was able to prevail in the sprint from a small group of favorites ahead of Michael Matthews and Tadej Pogacar.
Philipsen wins with a strong tiger jump
The first Monument of the year goes to Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin – Deceuninck). The Belgian prevailed in a spectacular race over 288 kilometers from Pavia to Sanremo, ahead of Michael Matthews (Jayo – AlUla) of Australia and Tadej Pogacar (UAE) of Slovenia. The stage saw numerous unsuccessful attacks on the climb to the Poggio and the subsequent flat section. Ultimately, the hill-climbing sprinters were left to contest the victory in the 115th edition of Milan-San Remo. In the end, a much better-executed tiger jump secured the win for Jasper Philipsen in a photo finish. This marks the Belgian's first Monument victory, having already won six stages at the Tour de France.
Attack of the Italian Second Division
In southwestern Lombardy, 175 riders started the first Monument of the season, about 35 kilometers from Milan. For last year's winner, Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin – Deceuninck), the 115th edition of Milan-San Remo began anything but smoothly. The Dutchman had to change his bike several times. However, since the pace was relatively leisurely at the start, the world champion didn't panic. Later, eleven riders managed to form a breakaway group.
Lidl – Trek & Alpecin – Deceuninck take responsibility
Italian Lorenzo Germani (Groupama-FDJ) dropped back from the breakaway after just a few kilometers, as the peloton signaled they weren't going to give up much of their advantage. The front group consisted of three riders each from Corratec-Vini Fantini and Polti-Kometa, as well as two from VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè. One rider each from the two WorldTour teams, Movistar and dsm-firmenich PostNL, completed the breakaway. However, the peloton – mostly led by Lidl-Trek and Alpecin-Deceuninck – never allowed the breakaway more than a three-minute lead.
The outliers at Milan-Sanremo 2024
Davide Baldaccini (Corratec – Vini Fantini)
Valerio Conti (Corratec – Vini Fantini)
Kyrylo Tsarenko (Corratec – Vini Fantini)
David Bais (Polti – Kometa)
Mirco Maestri (Polti – Kometa)
Andrea Pietrobon (Polti – Kometa)
Alessandro Tonelli (VF Group – Bardiani CSF – Faizanè)
Samuel Zoccarato (VF Group – Bardiani CSF – Faizanè)
Sergio Samitier (movistar)
Romain Combaud (dsm-unternehmenich PostNL)
UAE takes over 50 kilometers from the finish
With around 50 kilometers to go, UAE Team Emirates took control and upped the pace. Ten kilometers later, the peloton entered the Capo Berta climb, and the first big names were already being dropped. European champion Christophe Laporte (Visma – Lease a Bike) couldn't keep up with the pace set by the men in white, nor could Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X Mobility), who won here in Sanremo in 2014. Shortly before the Cipressa, UAE Team Emirates lost some of its shape, but quickly regained it and, led by Isaac del Toro (UAE), once again increased the tempo. More riders fell victim to this surge in pace. Sprinter Jonathan Milan (Lidl – Trek), for example, had to admit that this stage of the race wasn't suited to him. The breakaway's lead also dwindled to less than 20 seconds.
Pogacar is running out of helpers
Even before reaching the crest of the Cipressa, the remaining peloton eased off the gas. Captain Tadej Pogacar (UAE) had used up his penultimate helper , Isaac del Toro (UAE) . With only Tim Wellens (UAE) still able to stay with him, the major acceleration midway up the Cipressa had to be abandoned. With only a few seconds' lead remaining, the breakaway riders stormed down the descent. Sergio Samitier (Movistar) and Andrea Pietrobon (Polti-Kometa) crashed in a fast right-hand bend, effectively ending the escape attempt. Only Davide Bais (Polti-Kometa) refused to give up. The Italian, who had already been caught, attacked again and almost made it into the Poggio as the first rider. But the peloton, which had grown back to around 40-50 riders, caught him just meters away.
Only the preliminary decision is made at Poggio
Marius Mayrhofer (Tudor) was the first German rider to enter the Poggio. Tim Wellens (UAE) then increased the pace as planned, before his captain, Tadej Pogacar (UAE), launched his attack. With 6,5 kilometers to go, several riders managed to follow the two-time Tour de France winner. The Slovenian made another attempt just 200 meters from the summit. A few meters behind, Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin – Deceuninck) launched himself down the descent. A small gap opened up behind him to Thomas Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers), but the Briton closed it with ease thanks to his descending skills. Several other riders then caught up, and the battle for victory at Milan-San Remo began anew in the final two kilometers.
Philipsen wins thanks to a perfect tiger jump
Matej Mohoric (Bahrain – Victorious), the 2022 winner, made the first move. Matteo Sobrero (Bora – hansgrohe) launched the next attack. He pulled Thomas Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) along on his wheel, who looked like the winner just before the finish. But then the powerhouse Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin – Deceuninck) and Jasper Stuyven (Lidl – Trek) forced a sprint finish. Mads Pedersen (Lidl – Trek) launched the attack on the right side of the road. But on the far left, Michael Matthews (Jayco – AlUla) was clearly faster. Only Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin – Deceuninck) managed to overtake him thanks to a better-executed jump. With this victory, the Belgian wins his first Monument after six stages at the Tour de France.
#replay / #MilanoSanremo
The final sprint of this 115th edition: Michael Matthews was on the line with Jasper Philipsen (ADC). Tadej Pogacar (UAD) arrives on the premier podium on the monument. pic.twitter.com/Dg1RXSoovQ— Renaud Breban (@RenaudB31) March 16, 2024