Wout Van Aert (Jumbo Visma) was involved in a strong duel with Tadej Pogachar (UAE Team Emirates) on the ascent of Poggio The 115-year-old Milan - Sanremo race is still as fascinating as ever.

Van Aert's all-in orientation paid off in Pandemic two years ago, when he caught up with Julian Alaphilippe's decisive acceleration in Poggio and outpaced him in Via Roma. Van Aert's instincts were similar this time, as he followed four attacks by Pogachar on the final climb after the UAE Team Emirates team had taken the lead from Cipressa.

Despite this onslaught, however, the pre-race favorites were unable to completely break away from the chasing pack. Van Aert, along with Pogachar, Sören Krafft-Andersen (Team DSM), and Mathieu Van der Pol (Alpecin Phoenix), were in a group of four heading for the summit, but their pursuers were already on their heels. On the Riviera, big bets don't always come true.

"Tadej Pogachar attacked hard early on, and that's where he put his best arrows," Van Aert admitted after finishing in eighth place, two seconds behind Mohoric.

"In a case like this, you might as well sit a little further back to see who wins in the end. But it could even be the right attack. I don't regret it, but I am disappointed."

Mohoric's downhill talent was well known in advance, and early in the race he advertised the use of dropper posts, jokingly warning his rivals. After the race, Mohoric told reporters in the press room, "I'm not going to be able to do it, but I'm going to do it. Van Aat was well aware of Mohoric's aggression, but there was little he could do once the Slovenian had gained a few bike lengths on him.

"If he survived the climb, I was sure he would try to set something up on the descent. I know him a little bit through Primoz Roglic and it seems like he has been working hard for this race for years. I wanted to slide in when he passed me, but Mathieu Van Der Pol and Pogachar caught me up a bit. But I got a little bit caught up with Mathieu Van Der Pol and Pogachar. And that's exactly what happened."

The last kilometer from the top of Poggio to Via Roma unfolded amidst a mix of split-second decisions by the race leaders. In such a spectator area, it is never easy to conduct a harmonious chase.

Aside from his eternal rival, Van der Pol, Van Art suggested that no one had the same tune when the road flattened out in the last 2 km. Anthony Turgis (Total Energies) took second place behind Mohoric, with van der Pol winning the sprint for third.

"I raced to win, as I always do. As did Mathieu van der Pol, but the others were immediately thinking about the podium. That's their right, but I would rather fight and fall. They were not very cooperative. Some may have come here to train, but I came here to win."

Van Aert rode with teammate Roglic in Poggio, but the Paris-Nice winner later admitted that he did not have the explosiveness needed to keep up with Pogachar's acceleration on the climb. He was separated at the summit and finished 17th, 11 seconds behind Mohoric.

"Either the race was too long or too fast," Roglic joked to reporters as he emerged from the Jumbo-Visma bus after the finish. Just didn't have that last kick. It was super hard."

Roglic rode into Italy to return the support he had received from Van Aert on the final stage from Paris to Nice, but was unable to catch up with his teammate after the fall into San Remo, and the Belgian champion formed an ad hoc alliance with rival Van der Pol The Belgian champion was forced to form an ad hoc alliance with rival Vanderpol.

"I tried to catch up, but I couldn't make it. 'I think we've done everything and in the end we just have to accept it and move on.'