Van der Poel benefits from Pogacar's early attack to win Milan-San Remo again

SAN REMO, Italy (AP) — Even with a new tactic, Tadej Pogacar still couldn’t win the Milan-San Remo.

Pogacar attacked earlier than usual — on the penultimate Cipressa climb — but Mathieu van der Poel followed the Slovenian standout every step of the way and eventually won a three-man sprint Saturday that also included Filippo Ganna.

“He tried everything he could,” Van der Poel said of Pogacar, the reigning world, Tour de France and Giro d’Italia champion. “He (made) the decisive move on Cipressa. I think everyone knows how impressive this is. He was maybe the strongest uphill but I felt I had control on the wheel.”

It was Van der Poel’s second Milan-San Remo victory after the Dutch rider also took the season’s first “Monument” race two years ago. Van der Poel’s maternal grandfather, French cyclist Raymond Poulidor, also won the Milan-San Remo in 1961. He died in 2019.

Having tried unsuccessfully previously to swing into action on the Poggio climb shortly before the finish, Pogacar this time made his first attack midway up the Cipressa with 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) to go in the 289-kilometer (180-mile) race, which started in Pavia this year.

Van der Poel and Ganna were the only riders capable of sticking with Pogacar and the three studied each other on the finishing straight before Van der Poel made the first move — which proved decisive.

Ganna finished second and Pogacar settled for third.

“I felt pretty strong,” Van der Poel said. “I felt that I still had a good sprint in the legs and I knew that the other two wanted to make it a long sprint, because I’m known for the shorter sprints. So I think I surprised them a bit by launching my sprint at the 300-meter sign. But I felt strong enough to hold it.”

Added Pogacar: “They were just too fast for me and there was nothing I could do.”

Michael Matthews won the sprint for fourth, crossing 43 seconds behind.

“It was an edition to remember,” Van der Poel said. “I don’t remember when the decisive move was on the Cipressa but it was surely a long time ago. It was special with just the three of us at the finish."

Pogacar and Van der Poel shattered the Cipressa climbing record of 9 minutes, 16 seconds, set in 1996 when Gabriele Colombo launched his attack there and went on to a solo victory.

It was the seventh Monument win for Van der Poel, who has also won the Tour of Flanders three times and Paris-Roubaix twice.

The other Monuments are Leige-Bastogne-Liege and Giro di Lombardia — races that Pogacar has won multiple times.

European champion Lorena Wiebes beat standout Marianne Vos in a sprint finish to win the women’s race, which returned after 20 years.

Swiss rider Noemi Ruegg crossed third.

Wiebes was helped by a leadout from teammate Lotte Kopecky, the world champion.

The women’s race followed a 156-kilometer (97-mile) route from Genoa to San Remo.

AP cycling: https://apnews.com/hub/cycling

Mathieu van der Poel hugs a woman after winning the men's elite race of the Milano-Sanremo one day cycling race (289 km) from Pavia, in Sanremo, Italy, Saturday March 22, 2025. (Massimo Paolone/LaPresse via AP)

Mathieu van der Poel reacts as he crosses the finish line in first place, with Filippo Ganna on second place, centre, and Tadej Pogacar, right, on third place of the men's elite race of the Milano-Sanremo one day cycling race (289 km) from Pavia, in Sanremo, Italy, Saturday March 22, 2025. (Gian Mattia D'Alberto/LaPresse via AP)

Lorena Wiebes celebrates as he cycles to the finish line to win the women's elite race of the Sanremo Women, one day cycling race from Genova to Sanremo (156km), in Sanremo, Italy, Saturday, March 22, 2025. (Massimo Paolone/LaPresse via AP)

Lorena Wiebes celebrates as he cycles to the finish line to win the women's elite race of the Sanremo Women, one day cycling race from Genova to Sanremo (156km), in Sanremo, Italy, Saturday, March 22, 2025. (Massimo Paolone/LaPresse via AP)

Tadej Pogacar leads, with Mathieu van der Poel on the second position, during the men's elite race of the Milano-Sanremo one day cycling race (289 km) from Pavia, in Sanremo, Italy, Saturday March 22, 2025. (Massimo Paolone/LaPresse via AP)

Tadej Pogacar, front, looks at Mathieu van der Poel as they fight for the first position of the men's elite race of the Milano-Sanremo one day cycling race (289 km) from Pavia, in Sanremo, Italy, Saturday March 22, 2025. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)

Mathieu van der Poel reacts as he crosses the finish line in first place, with Filippo Ganna on second place, centre, and Tadej Pogacar, right, on third place of the men's elite race of the Milano-Sanremo one day cycling race (289 km) from Pavia, in Sanremo, Italy, Saturday March 22, 2025. (Massimo Paolone/LaPresse via AP)

TOKYO (AP) — Japan 's official cherry blossom spotters on Monday confirmed the first blooming of the country's favorite flower, declaring the official start of the festive season in the Japanese capital.

An official from the Japan Meteorological Agency carefully examined the specimen tree of Somei Yoshino variety at Tokyo's Yasukuni shrine and announced that more than five blossoms — the minimum required for the announcement — were flowering on it.

The opening matched the average year and was five days earlier than last year, according to the JMA.

Cherry blossoms, or “sakura,” are Japan’s favorite flower and usually reach their peak in late March to early April, just as the country celebrates the start of a new school and business year. Many Japanese enjoy walking or picnicking under the trees.

Sakura have deeply influenced Japanese culture for centuries and have regularly been used in poetry and literature, with their fragility seen as a symbol of life, death and rebirth.

The announcement in Tokyo, which is enjoying warmer-than-usual temperatures of around 19 Celsius (66 Fahrenheit), comes just one day after the blooming of the nation's first cherry blossom was confirmed Sunday in the southwestern city of Kochi on the island of Shikoku.

The JMA tracks more than 50 “benchmark” cherry trees across the country. The trees normally bloom for about two weeks each year from first bud to all the blossoms falling off. They are expected to reach their peak in about 10 days.

Cherry trees are sensitive to temperature changes and the timing of their blooming can provide valuable data for climate change studies.

In recent years, Japan's cherry blossom season has tended to come earlier than the average, prompting concerns of a possible impact of climate change.

Officials from the Tokyo Regional Meteorological Observatory of the Japan Meteorological Agency check the blooming status of the Somei Yoshino specimen tree at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, Monday March 24, 2025. (Kyodo Photo via AP)

The blooming Somei Yoshino cherry tree at the specimen tree at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, Monday March 24, 2025. (Kyodo Photo via AP)

The blooming Somei Yoshino cherry tree at the specimen tree at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, Monday March 24, 2025. (Kyodo Photo via AP)