John Degenkolb was in tears after a late puncture cost him a chance of victory in last year’s Milan-San Remo but he shed tears of joy on the podium after winning this year’s race with a perfectly executed sprint in Via Roma.
Degenkolb was not one of the big-name favourites before the race after a quiet, below the radar, build-up at Paris-Nice. But the Giant-Alpecin team rode a great race and put all their chips on Degenkolb. His number came up, confirming yet again, after Marcel Kittel’s success at last year’s Tour de France, that Giant-Alpecin is currently the best sprint team in the peloton.
“Last year I had tears in my eyes after I had the most disappointing day in my cycling life and this year I had tears in my eyes because I won,” Degenkolb said in his post-race press conference.
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“I don’t actually remember the last two kilometres of the race, so I will have to watch it again,” he admitted. “I didn’t believe I’d win fifty metres before the line. I definitely thought I’d not be able to beat Alex (Kristoff) in the sprint because he started strong. But there was a difference in our power and speed. Before the line he died and I could overtake him. Crossing the line was pure emotion.”
Degenkolb showed he had worked hard during the winter by winning the uphill finish at the Dubai Tour in early February. After that he finished second in a sprint at the Ruta del Sol and third on another stage in Paris-Nice but was happy to quietly prepare for Milan-San Remo without the tag of favourite, despite being perfectly suited to the tough finale of the first monument of the season.
“I think that wasn’t a disadvantage,” he said, cracking yet another big smile.
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