Milan-San Remo: Van der Poel and grandfather Poulidor on the finish line | the picture

The suggestion of a photograph. And in those few centimeters that separate the two images skilfully worked by photographer Roberto Bettini – grandfather on the right, grandson on the left – there are 62 years of age. It was February 18, 1961 when the Frenchman Raymond Poulidor, the man on the right, won the Milan-San Remo at the first attempt. He was 25 years old, had made his professional debut the year before, and until that day hadn’t boasted particularly noteworthy results. The favorites were others: the Belgians Van Looy, world champion, and Daems, winner of the last Giro di Lombardia, or the Italians Baldini, Nencini or the national champion Defilippis. If anything, the great Anquetil, who however never had a particular feeling with the Classicissima, or the other Frenchman Darrigade. Instead, in the end the good Poupou prevailed. And to think that he had also thought about retiring after puncturing at a key moment in the race. Luckily he changed his mind. And after returning to the group of the best, it was he who lit the powders. He captured his compatriot Annaert at the foot of the Poggio together with the Dutch Geldermans, attacked alone on the last climb and took off. At the bottom of the descent, with 2 kilometers to go, his advantage over the first pursuers was still 400 meters, but the group led by Van Looy’s men dangerously closed the gap more and more. However, it was not enough to catch Poupou again, who won with 3” just over Van Looy and Benedetti.

Encore in the family

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Exactly 62 years later, Mathieu Van der Poel, the man on the left, wrote the same story on Saturday, adding an extraordinary page to the already rich family album. Decisive attack on the Poggio, fabulous solo, masterful descent, then the tight-lipped finale on the Aurelia, with Ganna, Van Aert and Pogacar chasing him down, before the final apotheosis that gave him one of the most beautiful pearls of his career. He may not have won the first time, Mathieu, but on the three previous occasions he had always come close. It’s just a pity that grandfather Poupou is no longer with us. Who knows what his reaction would have been…