Milano-Sanremo<\/a>, where his move on the Cipressa forced a level of intensity rarely seen so early in the race.<\/p>\nBut for Wuyts, that kind of performance is not something to be concerned about. \u201cBut if I look at myself, I can really enjoy the beauty of a brilliant performance from the same rider,\u201d he explained. \u201cWhen Pogacar attacks for the fourth time in Strade Bianche, I\u2019m still sitting there watching with my mouth open. And it\u2019s not like: here we go again. It doesn\u2019t bother me for a single second. On the contrary, I\u2019m not waiting for him to be caught.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rather than seeing dominance as predictable or damaging, he frames it as part of the sport\u2019s appeal. \u201cI have respect for the fact that he dares to take risks and not do it the easy way. What more can you expect from a top athlete?\u201d<\/p>\n
The real problem: missing battles<\/p>\n
Where the concern does lie is in how rarely the biggest names now collide across the calendar. \u201cThese confrontations are partly disappearing. And that\u2019s a shame, because it leads to niche formation,\u201d he continued. \u201cI challenge you to point out how many real top riders there are in the Flemish spring races, and how often they actually go head-to-head. You\u2019ll only get to two or three times. And I\u2019m not just talking about Pogacar and Van der Poel, but also the level just below them.\u201d<\/p>\n
That point cuts deeper than a single race. While Pogacar has shown a willingness to race across different terrains and Monuments, others have become more specialised, limiting the number of direct clashes between the sport\u2019s biggest stars.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho still dares to bridge the gap to the Ardennes? And believe me, that is more possible than people think,\u201d he said. \u201cYou always end up back at Pogacar. But beyond that, you see an increasing divide.\u201d<\/p>\n
The result is a calendar where the most anticipated matchups are the exception rather than the rule.<\/p>\n
Pogacar setting the example<\/p>\n
That broader trend is exactly why Wuyts sees Pogacar as part of the solution rather than the problem. \u201cPogacar plays a very important role in that, by showing that it is actually possible. He crosses out all preparation races and rides every big race that really matters.\u201d<\/p>\n
In doing so, he has demonstrated that the sport does not have to be confined by rigid specialisation, even at the highest level. \u201cIf others follow that example, it would create fantastic scenes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Why Milano-Sanremo still matters<\/p>\n
That is what makes Milano-Sanremo stand out. Unlike other races where the favourites are spread across different programmes, La Primavera continues to bring the very best together. Pogacar\u2019s aggressive approach, Van der Poel\u2019s ability to respond, and the presence of riders like Filippo Ganna create a rare scenario where styles and strengths collide directly.<\/p>\n
Last year\u2019s edition showed exactly what that can produce, with Pogacar\u2019s Cipressa attack forcing the race into a selective finale and raising the overall level of the Monument.<\/p>\n
This weekend, the expectation is similar. Not just that the strongest riders will decide the outcome, but that they will have to do so against each other.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t like using percentages, but the chance is very high that one of those two wins and the biggest chance is that Mathieu van der Poel wins,\u201d he said. \u201cPurely based on the qualities needed to win that race. You need that explosive sprint on the Via Roma, which rises more than people think.\u201d<\/p>\n
A rivalry the sport needs<\/p>\n
In that sense, Milano-Sanremo represents something the wider calendar increasingly lacks. It is not just a race where the strongest rider wins. It is a race where the strongest riders meet.<\/p>\n
That distinction sits at the heart of the argument. Pogacar\u2019s dominance is not reducing the spectacle. If anything, it is raising the level. The real risk is when riders of that calibre are not forced into direct confrontation often enough.<\/p>\n
And that is why, ahead of one of the few races where those clashes are almost guaranteed, the focus shifts.<\/p>\n
Not to whether Pogacar is too strong. But to whether cycling is doing enough to ensure that strength is tested often enough against the very best.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cExactly for that reason, I find it frustrating that the top riders are increasingly avoiding each other.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":554690,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[569],"tags":[64,63,784,77973,274049,167052,85,6494],"class_list":["post-554689","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-cycling","tag-mathieu-van-der-poel","tag-michel-wuyts","tag-milano-sanremo","tag-sports","tag-tadej-pogacar"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/554689","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=554689"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/554689\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/554690"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=554689"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=554689"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=554689"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}