Milano-Sanremo: Jasper Stuyven surprises the favorites with late solo dash

Caleb Ewan sprints to second place, with Wout van Aert third after Jasper Stuyven bold attack off the base of the Poggio.

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Jasper Stuyven (Trek-Segafredo) surprised the favorites with a late winning attack to take Milano-Sanremo on Saturday.

The Belgian punched clear shortly after the bottom of the descent of the Poggio to go away from an elite group before launching the time trial of his life to hold off the pursuit. The 28-year-old came to the line just meters ahead of Caleb Ewan (Lotto-Soudal) and Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma), who took second and third place, respectively, in the gallop for podium places. Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) came fourth.

“It’s the biggest win of my career,” Stuyven said. “The boys put me in perfect position, but the legs were empty in the end, but if you win by one centimeter it’s enough.”

Pre-race favorites Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) finished fifth and Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) finished 16th, at the back of the pack that had chased after Stuyven.

Styuven’s win came after a week of speculation about the “big three” of van Aert, Alaphilippe and van der Poel.

“There are three guys who are really strong, and everyone was talking about them, but that didn’t mean we were not going to race for the win,” Stuyven said. “We had a plan, and I felt good all day. I had to try all-or-nothing, because if I go to the line [for a sprint], I would finish in 10th or 12th. Maybe eight out of 10 times, we have nothing, but it’s amazing.”

https://twitter.com/VelonCC/status/1373303146471161857

Stuyven made his move with little more than two kilometers to the line after a bunch of around 18 reached the base of the Poggio descent together. The Trek-Segafredo rider dashed away with a Fabian Cancellara-esque acceleration no one was expecting, and the group hesitated in launching a chase. Max Schachmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) and then Søren Kragh Andersen (DSM) were the first to counter, with Kragh Andersen able to bridge across to the charging race leader.

Kragh and Stuyven hit the finish straight together as the bunch behind began launching a desperate late sprint behind. Stuyven’s chances looked to be over as the chasers loomed over his shoulder, but was able to hold out to win by a bike-length.

Poggio showdown

Stuyven had stayed toward the front of the race through the final as he and teammate Vincenzo Nibali waited for their chances. Ineos Grenadiers towed a reduced peloton into the decisive Poggio climb at nine kilometers to go, with Filippo Ganna pressing the pace hard through the opening kilometers.

In a throwback to 2020, Alaphilippe lit up the action at 6.5km to go, with van Aert first to respond. The duo almost went clear, but van der Poel shadowed the move seconds later, bringing a small group together at the top of the climb.

Van Aert pulled the leaders through the upper slopes of the climb as Ewan hung on, holding out hopes for a bunch sprint. Tom Pidcock pushed the pace through the descent to briefly split the group, but the bunch came back together to set up Stuyven for his winning dash.

 

 

Jumbo-Visma controls the Cipressa

Defending champion van Aert had set his teammates to work to crank the pace and control the bunch on the Cipressa after archrival van der Poel had speculated about using the climb as a launchpad earlier in the week. The pace shed several of the heavy sprinters as van der Poel opted to cool his jets around 10-wheels back.

Eight-man break goes long

The break of eight formed in the opening minutes and soon went clear, with Nicola Conci (Trek-Segafredo), Andrea Peron and Charles Planet (both Team Novo Nordisk), Mattia Viel and Filippo Tagliani (both Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec), Alessandro Tonelli (Bardiani-CSF-Faizanè), Taco van der Hoorn (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert) and Mathias Norsgaard (Movistar) in the move.

The longest-lasting escapee enjoyed some 275km of air time at the front of the race before being swept up by the charging peloton on the slopes of the Cipressa.

 

Milano-Sanremo Results

Stage
RankNameTeamTime
1STUYVEN JasperTrek - Segafredo6:38:06
2EWAN CalebLotto Soudal0:00
3VAN AERT WoutTeam Jumbo-Visma0:00
4SAGAN PeterBORA - hansgrohe0:00
5VAN DER POEL MathieuAlpecin-Fenix0:00
6MATTHEWS MichaelTeam BikeExchange0:00
7ARANBURU AlexAstana - Premier Tech0:00
8COLBRELLI SonnyBahrain - Victorious0:00
9KRAGH ANDERSEN SørenTeam DSM0:00
10TURGIS AnthonyTeam Total Direct Energie0:00
11MOHORIČ MatejBahrain - Victorious0:00
12TRENTIN MatteoUAE Team Emirates0:00
13VAN AVERMAET GregAG2R Citroën Team0:00
14SCHACHMANN MaximilianBORA - hansgrohe0:00
15PIDCOCK ThomasINEOS Grenadiers0:00
16ALAPHILIPPE JulianDeceuninck - Quick Step0:00
17KWIATKOWSKI MichałINEOS Grenadiers0:00
18NIZZOLO GiacomoTeam Qhubeka ASSOS0:06
19BOUHANNI NacerTeam Arkéa Samsic0:06
20ACKERMANN PascalBORA - hansgrohe0:06
21NAESEN OliverAG2R Citroën Team0:06
22LAPORTE ChristopheCofidis0:06
23VENDRAME AndreaAG2R Citroën Team0:06
24VERMEERSCH GianniAlpecin-Fenix0:06
25SERRANO GonzaloMovistar Team0:06
26DÉMARE ArnaudGroupama - FDJ0:06
27BARDET RomainTeam DSM0:06
28STANNARD RobertTeam BikeExchange0:06
29SIMON JulienTeam Total Direct Energie0:06
30GARCÍA CORTINA IvánMovistar Team0:06
31VAN BAARLE DylanINEOS Grenadiers0:06
32DEGENKOLB JohnLotto Soudal0:06
33OSS DanielBORA - hansgrohe0:06
34FORMOLO DavideUAE Team Emirates0:10
35NIBALI VincenzoTrek - Segafredo0:10
36HIGUITA SergioEF Education - Nippo0:10
37ŠTYBAR ZdeněkDeceuninck - Quick Step0:12
38CLARKE SimonTeam Qhubeka ASSOS0:18
39COVI AlessandroUAE Team Emirates0:21
40ROTA LorenzoIntermarché - Wanty - Gobert Matériaux0:29
41BALLERINI DavideDeceuninck - Quick Step0:29
42BENNETT SamDeceuninck - Quick Step0:29
43CIMOLAI DavideIsrael Start-Up Nation0:29
44BARGUIL WarrenTeam Arkéa Samsic0:29
45IZAGIRRE GorkaAstana - Premier Tech0:29
46FELLINE FabioAstana - Premier Tech0:29
47DE GENDT AiméIntermarché - Wanty - Gobert Matériaux0:29
48FIORELLI FilippoBardiani-CSF-Faizanè0:29
49MEZGEC LukaTeam BikeExchange0:29
50GENIETS KevinGroupama - FDJ0:29
51MARENGO UmbertoBardiani-CSF-Faizanè0:29
52VALGREN MichaelEF Education - Nippo0:29
53MARTIN GuillaumeCofidis0:29
54LAMPAERT YvesDeceuninck - Quick Step0:29
55CARUSO DamianoBahrain - Victorious0:29
56MOSCA JacopoTrek - Segafredo1:21
57VLIEGEN LoïcIntermarché - Wanty - Gobert Matériaux1:28
58WIŚNIOWSKI ŁukaszTeam Qhubeka ASSOS1:28
59RUSSO ClémentTeam Arkéa Samsic1:38
60RUMAC JosipAndroni Giocattoli - Sidermec1:38
61SBARAGLI KristianAlpecin-Fenix1:38
62CORT MagnusEF Education - Nippo1:38
63BONIFAZIO NiccolòTeam Total Direct Energie1:38
64GANNA FilippoINEOS Grenadiers1:38
65SOBRERO MatteoAstana - Premier Tech1:38
66KONOVALOVAS IgnatasGroupama - FDJ1:38
67HOFSTETTER HugoIsrael Start-Up Nation1:38
68BATTAGLIN EnricoBardiani-CSF-Faizanè1:38
69VIVIANI EliaCofidis1:45
70OOMEN SamTeam Jumbo-Visma1:45
71BURGHARDT MarcusBORA - hansgrohe1:45
72GILBERT PhilippeLotto Soudal1:45
73ZANA FilippoBardiani-CSF-Faizanè1:45
74SIMMONS QuinnTrek - Segafredo1:45
75SKUJIŅŠ TomsTrek - Segafredo1:45
76GOGL MichaelTeam Qhubeka ASSOS1:45
77SWIFT BenINEOS Grenadiers1:45
78WELLENS TimLotto Soudal2:39
79TUSVELD MartijnTeam DSM2:39
80ROOSEN TimoTeam Jumbo-Visma2:39
81CAMPENAERTS VictorTeam Qhubeka ASSOS2:39
82DE MARCHI AlessandroIsrael Start-Up Nation2:51
83PONOMAR AndriiAndroni Giocattoli - Sidermec3:00
84DURBRIDGE LukeTeam BikeExchange3:12
85OLIVEIRA NelsonMovistar Team3:13
86VILLELLA DavideMovistar Team3:13
87PASQUALON AndreaIntermarché - Wanty - Gobert Matériaux3:13
88MCLAY DanielTeam Arkéa Samsic3:13
89KRISTOFF AlexanderUAE Team Emirates3:13
90DEWULF StanAG2R Citroën Team3:13
91MAS LluísMovistar Team3:13
92KOCH JonasIntermarché - Wanty - Gobert Matériaux3:13
93BENEDETTI CesareBORA - hansgrohe3:13
94PUCCIO SalvatoreINEOS Grenadiers3:13
95VAN EMDEN JosTeam Jumbo-Visma3:13
96GUARNIERI JacopoGroupama - FDJ3:13
97PÉRICHON Pierre-LucCofidis4:30
98DE BONDT DriesAlpecin-Fenix5:02
99ASGREEN KasperDeceuninck - Quick Step5:02
100SCHÄR MichaelAG2R Citroën Team5:02
101KLUGE RogerLotto Soudal5:15
102DE BUYST JasperLotto Soudal5:15
103BISSEGGER StefanEF Education - Nippo6:25
104MARTINELLI DavideAstana - Premier Tech7:14
105CONCI NicolaTrek - Segafredo7:14
106TONELLI AlessandroBardiani-CSF-Faizanè7:14
107BRÄNDLE MatthiasIsrael Start-Up Nation7:14
108BYSTRØM Sven ErikUAE Team Emirates7:14
109BETTIOL AlbertoEF Education - Nippo7:14
110SCOTSON MilesGroupama - FDJ7:14
111CHIRICO LucaAndroni Giocattoli - Sidermec7:14
112VAN DER HOORN TacoIntermarché - Wanty - Gobert Matériaux7:14
113GAVIRIA FernandoUAE Team Emirates7:14
114SÜTTERLIN JashaTeam DSM7:14
115ROCHE NicolasTeam DSM7:14
116GRUZDEV DmitriyAstana - Premier Tech7:14
117ARASHIRO YukiyaBahrain - Victorious7:14
118ROWE LukeINEOS Grenadiers7:14
119VERGAERDE OttoAlpecin-Fenix7:56
120PEDERSEN CasperTeam DSM7:56
121VINJEBO Emil MielkeTeam Qhubeka ASSOS7:56
122VENCHIARUTTI NicolaAndroni Giocattoli - Sidermec7:56
123COMBAUD RomainTeam DSM7:56
124BOARO ManueleAstana - Premier Tech7:56
125NORSGAARD MathiasMovistar Team7:56
126SABATINI FabioCofidis7:56
127FRISON FrederikLotto Soudal7:56
128PICCOLI JamesIsrael Start-Up Nation7:56
129MULLEN RyanTrek - Segafredo7:56
130JUUL-JENSEN ChristopherTeam BikeExchange7:59
131LANGEVELD SebastianEF Education - Nippo7:59
132VAKOČ PetrAlpecin-Fenix7:59
133HEPBURN MichaelTeam BikeExchange10:30
134KONYCHEV AlexanderTeam BikeExchange10:30
135TRATNIK JanBahrain - Victorious10:30
136GOUGEARD AlexisAG2R Citroën Team10:30
137BOASSON HAGEN EdvaldTeam Total Direct Energie10:30
138CAPIOT AmauryTeam Arkéa Samsic10:30
139TERPSTRA NikiTeam Total Direct Energie10:30
140VAN HOECKE GijsAG2R Citroën Team10:30
141BODNAR MaciejBORA - hansgrohe10:30
142LINDEMAN Bert-JanTeam Qhubeka ASSOS10:30
143KUSZTOR PéterTeam Novo Nordisk10:30
144TORRES AlbertMovistar Team10:30
145SAGIV GuyIsrael Start-Up Nation10:30
146SCULLY TomEF Education - Nippo10:30
147RICHEZE MaximilianoUAE Team Emirates10:30
148WRIGHT FredBahrain - Victorious10:30
149PETIT AdrienTeam Total Direct Energie10:58
150VISCONTI GiovanniBardiani-CSF-Faizanè10:58
151DECLERCQ TimDeceuninck - Quick Step10:58
152VANBILSEN KennethCofidis10:58
153VIVIANI AttilioCofidis10:58
154VANSPEYBROUCK PieterIntermarché - Wanty - Gobert Matériaux10:58
155SINKELDAM RamonGroupama - FDJ10:58
156MANZIN LorrenzoTeam Total Direct Energie10:58
157HAUSSLER HeinrichBahrain - Victorious10:58
158AFFINI EdoardoTeam Jumbo-Visma13:17
159PFINGSTEN ChristophTeam Jumbo-Visma14:55
160GUERNALEC ThibaultTeam Arkéa Samsic14:55
161LEYSEN SenneAlpecin-Fenix14:55
162DAVY ClémentGroupama - FDJ16:33
163MARTENS PaulTeam Jumbo-Visma16:33
164LOZANO DavidTeam Novo Nordisk18:06
165POLI UmbertoTeam Novo Nordisk19:37
166TAGLIANI FilippoAndroni Giocattoli - Sidermec19:37
167BRAND SamTeam Novo Nordisk19:37
168PERON AndreaTeam Novo Nordisk19:37
169PLANET CharlesTeam Novo Nordisk19:37

Results provided by ProCyclingStats.

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