The hangover after the impressive Milan-San Remo 2025 that we were able to experience on Saturday has been great. Both fans and cyclists spent Sunday talking about the race, about what Tadej Pogacar could have done differently to win or about how great a classics rider Mathieu van der Poel is. Cyclists of the social media age are not immune to this either and join in to give their opinion on the race.
Good vibes and complicity between Van der Poel and Pogacar after the battle of Milan-San Remo
Unlike in other eras of cycling where tension between rival cyclists was palpable in every statement, social media allows them to interact more directly and, in the case of Tadej Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel, their mutual respect and admiration is joined by a good dose of complicity.
During Sunday, Tadej Pogacar made a post on Instagram congratulating Mathieu and Filippo Ganna while expressing his happiness at being able to share the podium with them. He also left a message for next year "I will come back for more with an incredible team".
Mathieu van der Poel wasted no time in responding with a suggestion "Next year Cipressa in 8 minutes?", to which Pogacar, half seriously half jokingly, replied "I'm analyzing the data. We can go a little faster. About 59 seconds".
A joke related to the record of the climb to Cipressa that had remained untouched since the last time the race was decided from so far away, specifically since 1996 when Gabriele Colombo and Alexander Gontchenkov ascended in 9 minutes and 19 seconds. Tadej Pogacar's offensive meant they climbed Cipressa in 8:55, although initially, the Strava segment of Tadej Pogacar's activity stated that he had done it in exactly 9 minutes, hence the joke about the 59 seconds.
However, not everything was perfect in the plan of UAE Team Emirates for this climb as a tangle in the corner at the entrance to the climb caused a small bottleneck that made Tadej Pogacar start from approximately 20th place in the peloton. While Tim Wellens did his job of setting an infernal pace at the head of the group, Tadej had to make up ground with the help of Jhonatan Narváez who, as he reached the front, had to take over from Tim Wellens. However, a piece of the puzzle was missing, an Isaac del Toro in top form who, surely, should have continued Wellens' work or perhaps been the last man. In fact, it is possible that the attack was not planned and was triggered by running out of men.
Now, there is barely any time to continue thinking about what happened as the action continues. This Friday we will witness a new duel between Tadej Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel in the E3 Saxo Classic, joined by a new piece, Wout van Aert. Let's remember that two years ago, in this same race, the three of them gave us a memorable day. Also this week, we should find out the decision of UAE Team Emirates-XRG regarding Tadej Pogacar's participation in the upcoming Paris-Roubaix.
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