'I thought I'd made a mistake' - Van der Poel hits right notes in second Tirreno win

In the closing kilometres, Van der Poel was a part of the dozen riders who went clear on the sharp climb of Tortoreto. Also present was his eternal rival Wout van Aert, who had Visma | Lease a Bike teammate Matteo Jorgenson on hand to ensure the race would come down to a reduced group sprint. 

Speaking in his flash interview after the stage win, Van der Poel stated that his victory on stage 2 had played into his thinking here. "I knew they wanted to sprint, and I was lucky enough to be able to gamble because I'd already secured a stage win," he said. 

Inside the final kilometre, Van der Poel simply followed the attacks and accelerations, including a big effort from Filippo Ganna, and he then launched for glory inside the final 300 metres. 

"I expected an attack from Filippo Ganna and tried to react immediately. Perhaps I launched my sprint too early, as it was far out with a headwind," Van der Poel told Sporza.

"I thought for a moment that I had made a mistake, because it was far, but I was able to create a gap straight away. I'm happy I was able to keep going." 

Van der Poel's dominant victory demonstrated that his finishing speed on a flat finish is perhaps sharper than it has been in years. "Yes, but everything that happened before wasn't flat. I'm mainly happy with my form," he said.

With Milan-Sanremo around the corner, the two-time winner looks to be peaking in at the right moment after starting his road season with solo victory at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.

Van der Poel will be aiming to challenge for more stage wins in the 2026 Tirreno-Adriatico, including in stage 5, but the Dutchman is likely to face a wrath of competition on the slightly tougher parcours towards the back end of this edition.