While everyone is waiting for the great battle between Tadej Pogačar and Mathieu van der Poel at the Milan-Sanremo, Visma-Lease a Bike will bet everything on Olav Kooij, certain of having a strategy that could work to neutralize the two super favorites. As every team on the eve of an important race, the true tactics are never revealed, but some indications will be given that will leave to the reader's imagination what the yellow-black team will do during the race.

Some information comes from Maarten Wynants, one of the team's sports directors, convinced that there will be several riders who need to be controlled and who could win at the Via Roma finish line. "I think Jonathan Milan was impressive in Tirreno-Adriatico and Mads Pedersen performed well at Paris-Nice, and then there's also Ganna. Now a one-day race is something different from a stage race, but I think Lidl-Trek has riders who can do well, just as Alpecin-Deceuninck does, with the reigning champion Jasper Philipsen". Philipsen, who crashed yesterday at Noeke Koerse, will only know in the next few hours if he will be at the start of the first Monument of the season.

Visma - Lease a Bike will try to run its own race and with Kooij has decided to bring a team that can support him and help him be at the front in the finale.

"We must fight with the means we have. Our task is to ensure the race ends in a sprint. With Olav, we have the best chances of winning this race, and this is the basis of our plan, because we know that with him we can aim for victory. We know that to get to the front we'll have to get over the Poggio with Pogačar and Van der Poel leading and it won't be easy at all. We also went to Sanremo with Wout van Aert for several years and know that this race is an enormous challenge. The world's best riders will be there, but we know that the strongest riders sometimes neutralize each other."

The Visma - Lease a Bike Dutchman is 23 years old and already has several important victories in stage races. Kooij is now ready to make the big leap and showcase himself in a Monument Classic, and with him will be Victor Campenaerts, Dan McLay, Ben Tulett, Attila Valter, Tosh Van der Sande, and Axel Zingle, who will try to help him get to the front if the race ends in a sprint.

"The beauty of Sanremo is that you never know how it might end" - continued Maarten Wynants - "It's never 100 percent certain that it will end with a group sprint, but on the other hand, it's never 100 percent certain that the victory will come from a breakaway. That's why we try to be a bit ambiguous about our strategy because we need to imagine multiple scenarios. We know that UAE Emirates will make the race hard and strong riders who can survive the Cipressa and Poggio will be needed. This is a difficult part for a pure sprinter, who will only be able to overcome these difficulties through sheer willpower. Rain and wind are also forecast, and this will have its influence. We have our ideas and we'll try to put them into action."