Tadej Pogačar once again showed the true champion that he is, as he won Milan-San Remo ahead of Tom Pidcock in a two-up sprint on the Via Roma. The pair had managed to drop last year’s winner Mathieu van der Poel on the Poggio and came into the final sprint together, but it was the World Champion who emerged victorious, as he claimed one of the few major races to have eluded him thus far in his career.
Though many would have expected Pogačar to win La Classicissima at some point or another, few would have predicted the manner in which he would end up doing so, as the Slovenian rider suffered a crash shortly before the start of the Cipressa, leaving him with road rash, shredded kit and a massive uphill battle to get back to the head of the race with 33km to go.
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“When I crashed, I thought it was all over,” said Pogačar in his post-race interview. “To crash in Imperia just before the most important part of the race is not ideal, but luckily I was quickly back on the bike and there was not too much damage to me or the bike.
After the trio worked together in the few kilometres between the Cipressa and the Poggio, Pogačar then managed a feat that he has attempted unsuccessfully in each of the previous three editions, as he dropped Van der Poel with an attack on the lower slopes of the Poggio, with the Dutchman unable to hold the wheel on the rapid ascent.
“When we were pulling turns, I was really happy that everybody worked,” Pogačar continued. “It was a bit of a headwind, so not ideal like last year and it was a bit harder in the middle part. When we hit the Poggio, it was a better wind this year, so I tried to go all out there. The ideal would be to go alone, but Tom Pidcock was really strong. Chapeau to Mathieu, he did an amazing race also, but in the end me and Tom came together and I was lucky in the sprint.”
Pidcock was able to stay in contact over the top of the climb and on the descent, despite Pogačar putting pressure on the British rider with multiple accelerations. As they came off the downhill and into San Remo, it was clear that they would have to work together to maintain their narrow advantage over the peloton behind, but once they reached the Via Roma, both riders’ focus quickly turned to the sprint.
“Tom is a really fast guy, we all know this. He’s punchy, he’s fast and he looks in really good shape, so I was a bit afraid when he let me go first and I was waiting for as long as possible, but I also know I cannot wait too long, because he has a better kick than me probably. In the end, I was surprised. It was really close and chapeau to him,” the World Champion concluded.
Results
Milan-San Remo 2026: Pavia > San Remo (298km)
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates-XRG, in 3:47:17
2. Tom Pidcock (GBr) Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling, at same time
3. Wout van Aert (Bel) Visma-Lease a Bike, +4s
4. Mads Pedersen (Den) Lidl-Trek
5. Corbin Strong (NZl) NSN Cycling
6. Andrea Vendrame (Ita) Jayco AlUla
7. Jasper Stuyven (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step
8. Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) Alpecin-Premier Tech
9. Matteo Trentin (Ita) Tudor Pro Cycling
10. Edoardo Zambanini (Ita) Bahrain Victorious, all at same time
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