tadej pogacar filippo ganna Mathieu van der Poel took the win , Tadej Pogacar launched the attacks, but the man of the race in Milan-San Remo may very well have been Filippo Ganna . The Italian pulled off the seemingly impossible by staying within reach of Pogacar over both the Cipressa and the Poggio, and then, after a powerful comeback, still managed to claim second place. "An incredible performance," Ganna said afterward. But the INEOS Grenadiers rider also expressed disappointment with the outcome.
In 2023, Ganna had already finished second in Milan-San Remo, that time from the chasing group’s sprint, behind Van der Poel. Two years later, the Dutchman from Alpecin-Deceuninck finally got the long-anticipated showdown with Pogacar, starting as early as the Cipressa. The Slovenian used the penultimate climb and the Poggio to try and drop his rivals, but it didn’t work. Van der Poel never gave an inch, and although Ganna struggled, he refused to let go and came back twice.
At 1.93 meters tall and weighing over 80 kilos, ‘Pipo’ had already made waves by finishing second overall at Tirreno-Adriatico, proving he was coming into La Primavera in top form. But surviving an all-out effort from the foot of the Cipressa? That was something else entirely. "I’m really happy because I put in a performance here against Mathieu and Tadej, the best riders in the world. But I’m also disappointed, because second place is still the first loser, right?" he said afterward, speaking to IDLProCycling.com and others.
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