The 28-year-old Frenchman was our highest-ranked finisher on the Via Roma.
The 113th edition of Milano-Sanremo turned out to be one of the most brutal of this century and gave further indication of how this event will be raced in the years to come. Already since 2017 it became clear that gone are the days the sprinters used to fight for victory, and Saturday brought more proof in this regard, as a searing pace on the Cipressa, with more than 20 kilometers to go, distanced the sprinters for good.
Florian Sénéchal was the only Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl to make the cut, putting in a strong effort to remain in the select front group that contained both Classics and Grand Tour specialists. That small group arrived on the slopes of Poggio, where attacks came in waves, putting more and more men in difficulty. Florian was among those to lose contact as they crested the top, but gave everything on the technical descent to Sanremo to rejoin the main group.
Despite an all-out effort, he missed out on that for just a handful of seconds – partly because a crash of another rider slowed him down with five kilometers to go, and concluded the race in 14th place – his best result in three Milano-Sanremo starts, which the 28-year-old Frenchman talked about at the finish on the Via Roma.
“I rode well the whole race. Always in the front on the key points, I tried to follow the best, but on the descent off Poggio Nizzolo crashed in front of me, which slowed me down a bit, and with everyone going à bloc there was no chance of returning to the front. I’m happy with the legs, not yet at 100% as I was a bit sick at Paris-Nice, but I think the form is definitely there for the next weeks”, said Sénéchal after the first Monument of the year.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images
