Tadej Pogačar has added another monument to his extraordinary palmares, winning Milan-San Remo 2026 in the most dramatic fashion imaginable. The World Champion crashed just 32 kilometers from the finish before the Cipressa climb, then launched an audacious attack that only Tom Pidcock could follow, before outsprinting the Briton on Via Roma to claim his first-ever La Classicissima victory.
The 298-kilometer race from Pavia to Sanremo followed its traditional route along the Mediterranean coast, but the fireworks came on the two decisive climbs at the business end of the race — and they came from a rider who moments earlier had been picking himself up off the road.
The Crash That Nearly Ended His Race
With 32 kilometers remaining, just before the peloton hit the lower slopes of the Cipressa, Pogačar was caught up in a crash. For a heart-stopping moment, his UAE Team Emirates-XRG squad scrambled to pace him back to the peloton while the race surged on ahead.
Rather than sitting in and recovering — the sensible move for a rider who had just hit the tarmac — Pogačar did what Pogačar does. He accelerated on the Cipressa, splitting the group and reducing the front of the race to just a handful of riders. The acceleration was so fierce that two-time winner Mathieu van der Poel and Pidcock were the only riders who could stay with him.
The Decisive Poggio Attack
On the Poggio — the final climb before the descent into Sanremo — Pogačar attacked again. This time only Pidcock could match his pace, and even van der Poel, widely considered the strongest one-day racer in the world, was dropped. The two leaders crested the Poggio together and descended into Sanremo with a gap that the chasing group could not close.
On the famous Via Roma finishing straight, Pogačar’s sprint was simply too strong. Pidcock gave everything but had to settle for second, while Wout van Aert led the remnants of the peloton home for third place.
A Season for the Ages
The victory continues what is shaping up to be a season of historic proportions for the Slovenian. Already the reigning World Champion, Tour de France winner, and Giro d’Italia winner, Pogačar is methodically collecting every major title in cycling. Milan-San Remo was one of the few gaps remaining in his palmares, and he has now filled it in emphatic style.
For Pidcock, the result confirms his emergence as a legitimate monument contender in his first season with Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling. Van der Poel, despite finishing off the podium, proved once again that he is among the strongest riders on any given day — the Cipressa and Poggio simply came too soon after Pogačar’s relentless pace.
With the spring classics season now in full swing, the rivalry between Pogačar, van der Poel, and an increasingly confident Pidcock promises to deliver more thrilling racing in the weeks ahead.
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