Professional biking might be merciless at occasions, or no less than that was most likely what a variety of the highest riders that lined up at Milan-San Remo have been left considering after they noticed their hopes and goals of a Monument victory shattered earlier than their very eyes on the slopes of the Cipressa.
The infernal tempo set by UAE Team Emirates-XRG adopted by Tadej Pogačar’s searing assault with 25km to go noticed a lot of those that had been labelled as contenders earlier than the race unable to carry the wheel in entrance of them.
For some, it was merely a case of misfortune, being within the incorrect place on the incorrect time. One such rider was Tom Pidcock, as his crew revealed in a social media publish after the race that he had been caught up in a crash on the backside of the Cipressa.
The British rider didn’t wish to communicate to the media after the end, so it’s unclear as to what extent he was concerned within the crash and whether or not or not he truly hit the deck himself, but it surely definitely price him time and positioning within the bunch simply as Pogačar was about to launch his decisive assault.
Home favorite Jonathan Milan was additionally put out of rivalry on the Cipressa for the second 12 months working, however for him it was as soon as once more a case of not having the legs on the day, as he was unable to carry the tempo on the climb and was dropped from the principle group.
He would come into the end with a bunch two minutes and 38 seconds down on race winner Mathieu van der Poel in a disappointing 81st place, while his Lidl-Trek teammate Mads Pedersen was capable of keep within the combine on each the Cipressa and the Poggio, ending seventh within the dash from the group behind the three podium finishers.
For a quick second, it did appear as if Pogačar, Van der Poel and Filippo Ganna could be joined by a fourth rider within the type of Romain Grégoire. The Groupama-FDJ rider was briefly capable of comply with the transfer of the World Champion when he made his acceleration, but it surely was in the end short-lived and he rapidly light after only some hundred metres.
He would ultimately end in thirtieth place on the day, rolling in with the aforementioned second group. However, the 22-year-old can definitely take confidence from the race, as only a few riders his senior have been capable of equal his efficiency on the Cipressa.
Speaking to Eurosport after the race, Grégoire acknowledged, “I had requested my crew to actually put me proper in entrance for the Cipressa in case they attacked. I used to be actually in the correct place on the proper time.
“I went for it, I didn’t ask myself any questions when it accelerated very strongly. Unfortunately, I feel it is the expression, whenever you get a bit of too near the solar, you get burned, that’s what occurred to me.
“I don’t remorse having tried, however I nonetheless remorse not going and getting a outcome after I felt good. It’s one other disappointment,” stated the younger Frenchman.
In actuality, a rider will typically lose much more races than they ever win over the course of their profession (until their identify is Tadej Pogačar), so for a younger rider like Grégoire, the expertise that he can take from competing in opposition to the most effective riders on this planet at his age will likely be invaluable for the remainder of his profession.
