Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck – Quick-Step) won the 2019 Milano-Sanremo, the first Classic Monument of the season. On the finish line in Via Roma he finished ahead of Oliver Naesen (AG2R La Mondiale) and Michal Kwiatkowski (Team Sky).
Alaphilippe punched the air in celebration as he captured the win and continued his period of unprecedented success, which sees him sit on seven victories amassed since the end of January, having taken a win at every single race he had started this season.
“It’s very difficult to realise what I achieved today together with this amazing team! There was pressure on me, but I knew the form was there and together with my Wolfpack teammates I did a perfect race. Tim pulled the entire day and then, on the Poggio, we tried to make the race very hard with Philippe and Styby, and afterwards I attacked as late as possible to forge a selection. On the downhill I tried to recover and remain focused, then in the last two kilometers I said that I want to win, and after closing the gap to Trentin, I continued to remain attentive, so when Mohoric went with 600 meters to go I said to myself it’s now or never. It’s unbelievable”, an emotional Julian Alaphilippe said to the melee of journalists at the finish.
Belgian Champion Yves Lampaert then took over and led into the 3.7km-long hill, before Philippe Gilbert and Zdenek Stybar set a brutal pace that inflicted pain and suffering, stretching the field and dropping the sprinters. Once the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad champion peeled off the front, Alaphilippe attacked, tearing the bunch apart and creating the decisive split, eliminating the threat of a mass gallop in the process.
Eleven riders rushed towards the finishing straight with a clear gap over the remnants of the peloton, nullifying a late acceleration of Matteo Trentin (Mitchelton-Scott) ahead of the flamme rouge. The first to show his intentions was Matej Mohoric (Bahrain-Merida), who turned on the gas on the left side of the road. Sensing the opportunity, Julian jumped onto his wheel and opened his sprint with over 200 meters to go, holding off the charge of Oliver Naesen (AG2R) and Michal Kwiatkowski (Team Sky) and outclassing all his opponents as he dashed to the most important victory of his career.
“I am so, so proud of my team! Tim controlled the escapees since the start of the day, while Yves, Styby and Philippe protected and brought me into position on the Poggio. Before the race I asked them to make sure I was fifth wheel tops at the foot of the climb and they took care of it”, said the fourth reigning Tour de France KOM champion to triumph at the prestigious “La Primavera” when asked about the incredible amount of work laid down by his Deceuninck – Quick-Step, who left an indelible mark over the first Monument of the season. “At the finish, everybody was crying and I was so happy and delighted to be able to share this memorable moment of immense joy with them.”
“Oliver Naesen: “I did the maximum”
“I have no regrets. I did my best to be on the podium. I never made a mistake during the entire race. In the sprint, I had room to produce my effort. But I could never get past Julian’s rear wheel. I saw who was going to win Milan San-Remo, and I could do nothing about it. It’s a funny feeling.
“I feel very strong right now, I’m not stressed at all. I’m comfortable and I try to encourage the same feeling for my teammates. We rode really well together all day, and we perfectly paced the Cipressa. After a very good Paris Nice, I was expecting to be in front today. With the legs I have right now, I cannot wait to race in Flanders next week with the E3 BinckBank Classic and Gent Wevelgem.”
Kwiatkowski: “I Dreamt to Win”
Third classified, Michal Kwiatkowski, said: “It’s a good result to be on the podium but being so close to the victory leads to thinking about what I could have done better. I dreamt to win today but Julian was the strongest rider today. I think everybody saw what he did on the Poggio. Having the legs to sprint the way he did after that is absolutely impressive. It was a nice feeling for me to be with the best riders in the front group. I’m really happy that Team Sky gave me the opportunity to go for another one.”
Results:
- Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck – Quick-Step) in 6h40’14”
- Oliver Naesen (AG2R La Mondiale) s.t.
- Michal Kwiatkowski (Team Sky) s.t.
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