Mike O'Connor
Reigning world champion Tadej Pogačar claimed his first-ever Milano-Sanremo victory, outsprinting Tom Pidcock on Via Roma after a breathless finale, and becoming the first rider in the rainbow jersey to win the race since 1983.
Despite crashing in the run-in to the Cipressa, Pogačar launched a decisive move on the penultimate climb, dragging Pidcock and defending champion Mathieu van der Poel clear. The Slovenian then shed Van der Poel on the Poggio, but could not dislodge the tenacious Brit.
The pair stayed together into Sanremo, where Pogačar opened the sprint from the front and held off Pidcock in a tight finish.
Wout van Aert secured third, just ahead of Mads Pedersen.
The best-placed southern hemisphere rider was Corbin Strong, with the kiwi NSN Cycling rider finishing an impressive 5th, just behind the main contenders.
“When I crashed, I thought it was all over,” Pogačar said.
“Luckily I was quickly back on the bike. My team gave everything to bring me back — without them, I don’t make it over the Cipressa.”
He added: “Tom was super strong. He’s punchy and fast, so I was a bit worried when he let me lead out. In the end, it was really close.”
The near-300km race began chaotically, with riders briefly taking a wrong turn before order was restored and an early breakaway established. The peloton, led for long stretches by Alpecin-Deceuninck’s Silvan Dillier, kept the move on a tight leash.
Former winner Michał Kwiatkowski hit the deck with 64km to go, but the decisive moment came ahead of the Cipressa, when a surge in pace triggered a crash involving Pogačar, Van Aert and others.
The world champion quickly remounted and, with the help of his UAE Team Emirates teammates, fought back to the front just in time for the key move.
On the Cipressa, a fierce acceleration from Brandon McNulty and Isaac del Toro set the stage for Pogačar’s attack, which splintered the race. Only Pidcock and a struggling Van der Poel could follow as the trio forged clear.
By the base of the Poggio, their advantage had dwindled, but Pogačar struck again, this time dropping Van der Poel for good. What followed was a relentless duel, with Pogačar attacking repeatedly and Pidcock matching every move in a gripping head-to-head.
Neither could gain a decisive gap, sending the race to a sprint, where Pogačar finally sealed the win that had long eluded him.
With victory in Sanremo, Pogačar has now won four of cycling’s five Monuments. Only Paris-Roubaix remains, the final piece needed to join legends Eddy Merckx, Rik Van Looy and Roger De Vlaeminck as winners of all five.
