Jasper Philipsen<\/a> was also a leader, but he punctured in the finale. It cost a lot of energy to come back because the pace was extremely high. Then it was clear the race would be for Mathieu.\u201dKeeping Van der Poel safe before the decisive climbs<\/p>\nRiesebeek was one of the last teammates with Van der Poel deep into the race, not only to close gaps but especially to keep him in the right place. \u201cMathieu doesn\u2019t say much, but if he wants to move up he will let you know. Usually he makes the decisions in the race himself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still, even a superstar sometimes needs a push. \u201cHe\u2019s always very calm, so sometimes I tell him that I think it\u2019s time to move up. In the Tour of Flanders we once ended up chasing and missed the first echelon. You always want to avoid that, and that\u2019s my job. Mathieu focuses mainly on the finale.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ahead of the Cipressa, that plan was visible, with Riesebeek making sure to keep Van der Poel safe and in front of the bunch. \u201cHe\u2019s very skilled, but heading into the finale he chose to stay in my wheel. He could sit a bit further back, but he wants to be completely at the front to reduce risks as much as possible. In those villages you have some very deep potholes, and he doesn\u2019t want to get caught in the chaos.\u201d For Sanremo, avoiding damage is part of the game.<\/p>\n
The Turchino crisis you barely saw on TV<\/p>\n
Then came the moment that rarely appears on television but can break a team\u2019s race. \u201cOn the Turchino I had to keep Mathieu at the front, which went well. We reached the coast and suddenly it got warm. Rain jackets and extra clothing had to come off, so we stopped briefly for a nature break. Pogacar stopped as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
And then, what followed was classic Sanremo chaos. \u201cBut then the peloton suddenly accelerated and we had to ride for a very long time to get back. I was there alone with Mathieu and no one helped us. That was definitely a difficult moment. It was a shame that other teams tried to profit from it. Maybe it motivated Mathieu even more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Riesebeek also watched the late-race duel between Tadej Pogacar and Van der Poel. Why did the Slovenian keep working with a faster sprinter? To him, the answer was obvious. \u201cThey both already have such big palmar\u00e8s. They often end up in situations where riders don\u2019t pull because they are the favourites. So they don\u2019t do that to each other. They\u2019re too proud to give it away because of tactical games.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added a warning for the future that might give much hope to Tadej. \u201cAnd Pogacar isn\u2019t slow, you know. He already beat Mathieu in a sprint this year at the Dauphin\u00e9. In the coming years he will try to drop Mathieu on the climbs. That\u2019s his biggest chance.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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