Tadej Pogacar wins Milan-San Remo in thrilling finish

Slovenian rider Tadej Pogacar claimed his first victory at Milan-San Remo on Saturday after years of trying, edging out Tom Pidcock in a two-man sprint despite a crash 32 km from the finish line.

“Pogi” recovers from fall to dominate

After a dramatic crash on a left turn, Pogacar, along with other top riders like Wout Van Aert and Matteo Jorgenson, hit the ground. However, Pogacar quickly got back on his bike, chased down the pack, and surged ahead in the race, setting a new climbing record on the Cipressa.

Van der Poel falters in the final stretch

Only two riders managed to keep up with Pogacar—Van der Poel and Tom Pidcock—as they approached the final climb up Poggio with a small lead over the peloton.

As they descended towards the finish line on Via Roma, Pogacar launched an attack, leaving Van der Poel behind with 9 kilometers to go. Pidcock managed to stay on Pogacar’s wheel, leading to a close sprint finish where Pogacar narrowly beat Pidcock.

“When I crashed, I thought it was all over, but thankfully I was able to get back on the bike quickly and without major damage,” he said. With this win, Pogacar now has a total of eleven Monument victories, tying with Belgian great Roger de Vlaeminck for second place in the all-time rankings and inching closer to Eddy Merckx’s record of 19 wins. His next challenges include the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix in April.