'Outstanding' Pogacar set for Milano-Sanremo duel with 'superhero' Van der Poel – Voigt

Van der Poel produced a storming finish to hold off Pogacar, Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) and Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) 12 months ago and will be out to repeat the feat on the iconic layout.

Pogacar launched and sustained an incredible attack from 81km out to win Strade Bianche and is the favourite to add the Milano-Sanremo title to his impressive roll of honour.

While conceding Pogacar will be tough to beat, Voigt believes it’s far from a foregone conclusion.

“At Milano-Sanremo, another cycling superhero is now opening his season – the world champion [Van der Poel].

“So if Pogacar can win a big race out of the training camp, Mathieu van der Poel could do the same. What’s more, he is not only world champion, but also defending champion at Milano-Sanremo.

“Matej Mohoric (Bahrain-Victorious) is also a rider to watch out for and who underperformed at Strade Bianche – he is stronger than you might think.

“Mads Pedersen and Jonathan Milan from Team Trek-Lidl have already taken victories and shown great performances in recent races. Pedersen was strong at Paris-Nice, Milan at Tirreno-Adriatico.

“The two can now ride together at Milano-Sanremo, a very interesting double-header.”

Should Pogacar prevail, he will complete the fourth leg of the five Monuments, which should act as extra motivation as he builds on his already impressive resume in the sport.

The Slovenian is well on his way to creating a lasting legacy despite being only 25 years old, and he is set to go for the double of the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France this summer.

“Tadej has a certain passion for records and history,” Voigt added. “He is one of the few active riders who could win all five Monuments.

“He has already won Flanders, Liege-Bastogne-Liege and the Tour of Lombardy. The only thing missing is Sanremo, where he has already come close, and Paris-Roubaix, which will be rather difficult for him.

“Pogacar also wants to attack at the Giro d’Italia. He is not afraid of big challenges. The big duel with Van der Poel awaits at Sanremo, but Mohoric could emerge as the smiling third.”