While waiting for his road racing form to be perfected for the cobbled classics, Mathieu van der Poel was a lead-out man for teammate Jasper Philipsen and had great success, including two stage wins in Tirreno-Adriatico.

In 2021, van der Poel had great success in the Tour de France, including a stage win and a six-day overall win, with two wins in Tirreno-Adriatico. Although he did not finish in the top 10 this week, he finds joy in helping his teammate Alpecin Deceuninck.

The results of UAE Team Emirates' Tadei Pogachal, who was dominant in Paris-Nice, will probably make Van der Pol think about Milan-San Remo and the Tour de Flanders. However, Tirreno-Adriatico was a week of good races and results for the Dutchman and his team.

He had one week of racing and two weeks of road training ahead of him after winning his fourth UCI Cyclocross World Championships.

"It was a long race and a very hard week. I hope to be in the shape I need to be to fight for the win in Milan-San Remo," van der Pol said on Sunday after celebrating with Philipsen.

The Alpecin-Desseuninck team has two promising riders for Milano-Sanremo, and Philipsen will be looking to win if it comes down to a sprint race.

Van der Pol admitted to having doubts about his form, but believes he is not alone in the peloton.

"Everyone has doubts [about his condition], not just me. I worked as hard as I could and I'm healthy, so I can't make big changes before Sanremo. I just need a little bit of luck to win the race.

Van der Pol improved his form by working for Philipsen. After finishing second to Fabio Jacobsen on stage 2, the two joined forces in the final kilometer, with Philipsen winning the sprint for the win in Foligno on stage 3.

After overall winner Primoš Roglic (Jumbo Visma) won three stages, Van der Pol again created a power surge to take Philipsen to victory on the final day in San Benedetto del Toronto.

"I'm really happy with my team. Two wins here is really great. Especially if the sprinters finish," van der Pol said.

"For me the job has become more important. Today I was able to lead out again and for me it's good to ride hard in the finals."