Tadej Pogačar added another impossible-sounding chapter to his already extraordinary career on March 21, winning Milan-San Remo 2026 in a two-up sprint against Tom Pidcock after a race defined by Cipressa attacks, crash chaos, and the relentless pace that has become the Slovenian’s calling card.
The victory made Pogačar just the sixth rider in professional cycling history to win four different Monument classics — and, at 27, the youngest to do so. It is a statistic that barely needs analysis: it is simply extraordinary.
Race Report: How the 117th Edition Was Won
Milan-San Remo rarely surrenders its secrets easily, and the 117th edition maintained the tradition. The 294-kilometre race across northern Italy unfolded relatively controlled until the race’s decisive climbs on the Ligurian coast, where the peloton began to shed riders and the chess game began in earnest.
The Cipressa climb — 5.6km at 4.1% — was where Pogačar made his decisive move. Attacking with characteristic patience (he waited until the precise moment the peloton’s cohesion began to crack), he drove clear with Pidcock and a small group of riders who would prove unable to hold his pace. By the Poggio — the final 3.7km climb before the descent into San Remo — it had become a two-man race.
Pogačar and Pidcock crested the Poggio together and descended with intent toward the Via Roma. In the sprint, Pogačar’s broader race capability proved the decisive factor: where pure sprinters would have overwhelmed Pidcock, Pogačar’s sustained power output and tactical composure carried him to the line by a wheel’s length. Wout Van Aert finished third, 4 seconds back, after failing to make contact during the Cipressa move.
The Four-Monument Club
To understand what Wednesday’s victory means, consider the company Pogačar now keeps. The five riders who had previously won four different Monument classics include Eddy Merckx (who won all five), Roger De Vlaeminck, Francesco Moser, Rik Van Looy, and — controversially — Alejandro Valverde. These are names that define the sport’s history across generations.
Pogačar now holds victories at:
- Milan-San Remo 2026 — La Primavera, 294km
- Tour of Flanders — (won 2023, 2024, 2025)
- Liège-Bastogne-Liège — La Doyenne (won multiple times)
- Il Lombardia — The Race of the Falling Leaves (won multiple times)
Paris-Roubaix remains the one Monument missing from Pogačar’s palmarès — and, given Wednesday’s form and the fact that the 2026 edition falls on April 12, the question is impossible to avoid. As our Paris-Roubaix 2026 preview covers in depth, Pogačar has overhauled his entire cobblestone setup specifically for this campaign.
Tom Pidcock: The Coming Force
In the rush to celebrate Pogačar’s achievement, Tom Pidcock’s extraordinary performance deserves full recognition. The 25-year-old British all-rounder has been building toward Classics success for several seasons, and Wednesday’s result — running the world’s best rider to a wheel on La Primavera — is arguably the most significant confirmation yet that Pidcock is ready to win at the highest Classic level.
Pidcock’s ability to follow Pogačar’s Cipressa attack, handle the technical Poggio descent at race pace, and sprint competitively after 290+ kilometres of racing places him among the elite handful of riders capable of winning MSR outright. Expect him to be a genuine contender for every Monument remaining in 2026.
What It Means for the Rest of Spring 2026
Pogačar is operating at a level that makes meaningful handicapping difficult. Since the beginning of 2026, he has:
- Won Milan-San Remo in a two-up sprint against one of the sport’s most versatile riders
- Confirmed he can control the Cipressa on a 290km day without burning critical matches
- Remained the overwhelming favourite for both Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix
The Spring Classics are, by their nature, races where form fluctuates, cobbles punish mechanicals indiscriminately, and crashes redistribute results. But in terms of pure capability, Pogačar enters the Flemish and northern French legs of the Classics calendar in a class of his own.
For Sunday’s Tour of Flanders — where Pogačar is the three-time defending champion — our Tour of Flanders 2026 preview explores the full race picture, including the challenges posed by Van der Poel and Van Aert.
Full Results: Milan-San Remo 2026
- Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) — SLO — 6h35’49”
- Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) — GBR — s.t.
- Wout van Aert (Visma–Lease a Bike) — BEL — +4″
For cycling fans, the Spring of 2026 is delivering something rare: a generational talent at his absolute peak, racing with a freedom and ambition that is reshaping what we thought a one-day racing season could look like. Whether you’re following every race or just tuning in for the biggest Classics, our Spring Classics viewing guide keeps you up to date on how to watch every race live.
