Milan-Sanremo favorites Julian Alaphilippe, Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel: The stars of the masked ball in Tirreno

Remember Tirreno – Adriatico 2021. Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert, Julian Alaphilippe and Tadej Pogacar had made the Course des deux mers a track to the stars. Two stages for Van der Poel, including a fifty terminal solo. Two bouquets for Van Aert, winner of the first and the last game. A single success for Alaphilippe, but just ahead of the other three phenomena. A stage and the general for Pogacar. Cycling was theirs.

Two years later, they are still the headliners of the Little Queen, even if the Frenchman has slightly demoted in the hierarchy. And yet… While “Pogi” was gorging on Paris-Nice, “MVDP”, “WVA” and “Alaf” once once more crossed swords on Tirreno – Adriatico, last week. And none raised their arms. “Whether or not they win a stage in this race doesn’t change much in their careers“, considers our consultant Nicolas Fritsch, concerning “the three rockstars“.

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“What matters to them are the Monuments. They won ‘only’ four between them (two Tours of Flanders for Van der Poel, one Milan – Sanremo each for van Aert and Alaphilippe, Ed), he continues. They were there to finalize their preparation, to make effortsTheir propensity to make this week in Italy a life-size training session for Milan – Sanremo almost turned into a caricature. From the inaugural time trial, Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) set the tone.

Vice-world champion in the time trial in 2020 and 2021, the Belgian took 45th place in the 1st stage, relegated to more than a minute by Filippo Ganna, following 11.5 km covered cautiously under the rain. Sixth in a sprint, he missed an opportunity on a fall the next day, then turned into a precious machine to crush the peloton for Primoz Roglic, who won the event. During the “stage of the walls”, van Aert thus seemed to disgust Alaphilippe.

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Van der Poel, le poisson-pilote

For his part, Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) took on the role of luxury lieutenant for his sprinter, Jasper Philipsen. Two victories for the latter, including one at the end of a masterpiece of putting into orbit signed MVDP. “I’m starting to like this pilot fish job“, he declared on Sunday, the evening of his sidekick’s second success. The spirit already at the Primavera… for a long time, as he assumed with a big smile: “I was already focused on Milan – Sanremo before Tirreno – Adriatico.”

If Philipsen was able to sprint for the win, it was partly thanks to Alaphilippe, who worked to give Fabio Jakobsen (Soudal-Quick Step) a chance to shine. He too played the game of who will do the most, for the future and his teammates, and who will show the least, to keep some mystery. “They don’t want to give all the clues, there’s this little bit of bluff“, supports Nicolas Fritsch.

Van der Poel: “I’m starting to like this pilot fish job”

Alaphilippe, a bit less reserved

Result ? Wout van Aert had delayed his return to competition, skipping the Strade Bianche… And we only suspect that he is ready, even if Julian Alaphilippe describes him “in very, very good condition” In The team. Mathieu van der Poel had suffered the weight of the favorite sign, without managing to respond to all the attacks, for his recovery ten days ago during the famous race of the “white roads”… And we do not know how much the form of the cyclo-cross world champion has since improved.

And Alaphilippe in all this? Unlike the two inseparable, he has already won on the road this year. And of the three cadors in question, it is undoubtedly the French puncher who revealed himself the most for personal purposes during this Tirreno, taking off his cape of super teammate time to dynamite the peloton, during a cut stage for him, before being beaten only by Roglic. But he was in ramp-up mode, just as openly as his perceived rivals. Saturday, the masks will fall.

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