The agony and ecstasy of Milan-San Remo - Analysis

Jasper Stuyven described Milan-San Remo as a race of a thousand scenarios and this year’s race saw many of them play out in what was surely the most intense, most exciting and most thrilling final hour of racing of the season.

Jasper Philipsen edged out Michael Matthews and Tadej Pogacar in the sprint finish along the barriers in the Via, Roma but before that final moment, the race could have gone so many different ways. Even 24 hours after the race it is still difficult to take it all in, to understand and appreciate it all.

If we watched Milan-San Remo a thousand times, we will surely see a thousand details that changed the race, a thousand conclusions and consequences and a thousand emotional moments and gestures that made it such a memorable edition of the Italian Classic.

There was the expected strength of Pogacar’s UAE team but also their unexpected weakness on the Cipressa, which made their rivals understand they had a chance of victory. Then there was Pogacar’s breathtaking, leg-burning double attack on the Poggio. Everyone else’s suffering was evident but Pogacar was unable to get away, with Mathieu van der Poel going after him.

The race slowly came back together on the descent as the speeds touched 90 kph. A mechanical took out Filippo Ganna, leaving the Italian furious but a dozen riders suddenly realised they had a chance of victory. It was breathtaking, edge-of-seat excitement. It was pure racing.

Late attacks are usually chased down on the flat roads into San Remo after the Poggio descent but somehow always have a chance as they did when Cancellara won Milan-San Remo in 2008 and Stuyven in 2021.

This year Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious) played his best card and surged away on the final part of the descent. Later Matteo Sobrero (Bora-Hansgrohe) tried a move in the final kilometre and then Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) jumped after him, all knowing they had little chance in the sprint.

All three were good enough attacks to stay away but destiny, team strength and generosity stepped in. Van der Poel could have tried to win with his own sprint but intrinsically knew that Philipsen was faster and had more chance of victory. The World Champion suddenly switched to domestique role and chased down all the attacks to give Philipsen his shot at victory.

Philipsen was not the only one thinking victory was in sight inside the final kilometre. Mads Pedersen had been quietly confident before the race and had described himself and Stuyven as a poker card hand of two kings.

Stuyven led out Pedersen into the Via Roma but tragically the Dane lacked a few decisive watts of power and speed when he opened his sprint. It is the price some always pay after 300 km of fast racing. It was suddenly clear that Alpecin-Deceuninck's cards: an ace (Van der Poel) and a prince (Philipsen) was the winning hand.

Yet even the sprint to the line could have gone so many different ways but Philipsen executed it with a sprinter’s killer instinct. He followed Matthews along the barriers before edging past him to hit the line first. The Australian could have closed the door but preferred to contest a fair sprint, in a gesture of sporting honesty.

Philipsen, Matthews and Pogacar hugged immediately after the finish in a sign of their respect and friendship that has developed as their careers and lives entwined.

Lance Armstrong lamented that Matteo Jorgensen and Brandon McNulty ‘hugged it out’ after Paris-Nice instead of being angry, bitter rivals. The grumpy old Texan seems unable to understand that this new generation of Millennial racers are different.

Pogacar and Matthews travelled to the start of Milan-San Remo together and are close friends and training partners. Matthews and Philipsen have holidayed together and Pogacar and Philipsen were teammates at UAE Team Emirates at the start of their careers.

"A friend wins, a friend is second, a friend is fourth, a friend is fifth, it feels really, really good to race against such guys and friends,” Pogacar said of the respect in the 12-rider front group.

“I feel more respect in the group and when more people are friends with each other. It was a friendly race but we still went full gas.”

That was the best outcome of Milan-San Remo 2024.