De Lie will not be at Milan-San Remo for an absurd reason involving Pogačar and Van der Poel

In recent years, Milan–San Remo has had several different finales and several different winners. A sprinter like Philipsen has won, Van der Poel has won (twice), the daring Mohorič has won, and the clever Stuyven has also taken victory. San Remo truly is the most unpredictable of all the Monuments.

Despite this, Arnaud De Lie has chosen not to take part because, in his view, with Pogačar and Van der Poel at the start he would have no chance of winning. A decision that may make sense in terms of UCI points, but from a competitive and romantic cycling perspective is frankly absurd. If other riders reasoned the same way, we would end up with no one lining up at the Tour de France with GC ambitions, or no one at the World Championships, given that in the end what truly matters is the rainbow jersey.

These were De Lie’s words to HLN:

“I have to be realistic: with them (Pogačar and Van der Poel, ed.) on the start line, I have no chance. On the Cipressa they put a minute into the others. Milan–San Remo is a wasted day for me. It doesn’t make sense. A top-ten finish is nice, but beyond that it doesn’t give me much. At the moment I get more satisfaction from a victory, for example two days earlier at the GP Denain. Maybe one day I’ll come back, but… everything in its own time. And if it never happens again, I won’t lose any sleep over it. There are worse things in life.”

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