Pogačar Hints at Milan-San Remo Exit After Dramatic Victory | Cycling News

Tadej Pogačar may have ridden his final Milan-San Remo, hinting at a potential retirement from the iconic Italian monument after finally securing victory at the sixth attempt. The win, a breathtaking display of resilience and power, came after a crash, a determined chase and a nail-biting sprint finish against Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5).

Milan-San Remo had begun to feel like an insurmountable challenge for Pogačar, despite his consistent podium finishes and overall dominance in the sport. The route, combined with the strength of his rivals, seemed to conspire against him, making victory elusive.

Now, with the weight of expectation lifted, the UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider can reflect on a hard-fought triumph. As he dispatched rivals on the Cipressa, Pogačar can now smile as he thinks about Milan-San Remo and enjoy a slice of well-deserved Italian focaccia.

“It’s quite a relief to finally win it. It’s been many years of training around here and I will miss it,” Pogačar said in the post-race press conference.

Pidcock revealed after the podium ceremony that Pogačar had confided in him about potentially never returning to Milan-San Remo. Pogačar confirmed this, joking to Cyclingnews as he left the press conference: “If I approach back to San Remo it will only be to eat focaccia…”

The idea seemed to offer a sense of relief, as Pogačar spoke about the mental toll of repeatedly training on the demanding roads of Milan-San Remo. “Now I can stop going to San Remo every week or even two times a week to train. It’s really hard mentally to go training to San Remo all winter,” he said.

“This race costs a lot of effort, also mentally. It’s one of the most unpredictable races I’ve ever done. I consider it is one of the most unpredictable races in the world.”

Pogačar’s victory came in one of the most unexpected and unpredictable editions of Milan-San Remo in its 117-year history. He somehow survived and won despite a crash just before the key climb of the Cipressa, where he was expected to launch an attack.

He went down hard on his left side, suffering road rash and damaging his white world champion’s skinsuit. For a moment, it appeared his race was over, admitting he considered abandoning the effort.

But, displaying remarkable resilience, Pogačar quickly remounted. A surge of adrenaline and the unwavering support of his UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammates propelled him back into contention, allowing him to launch his planned attack on the Cipressa.

“The team gave me so much hope also via the radio. I could not give up,” he said, praising the hard work of his teammates.

Pidcock and Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) were the only riders able to stay with Pogačar when he attacked on the Cipressa. But, Van der Poel was dropped on the final climb, the Poggio, leaving Pogačar and Pidcock to battle for the finish.

Pogačar initiated the sprint first, and Pidcock fought to draw alongside, but the Slovenian ultimately edged him out at the line. He agreed it was one of his greatest performances of his already illustrious career.

“I think it’s definitely one of the biggest wins in my career,” he confirmed. “I need to sleep it off a little bit. I don’t understand much about what happened in the final. I just was all out.”

“To sprint against Tom head to head was also crazy. I was doubtful until the line. Even after the line, I didn’t know if I won, so I still need a moment to realise that we won Milan-San Remo.”

With this victory, Pogačar has now won four of cycling’s five Monument Classics. Only Paris-Roubaix remains, and he is well-positioned to potentially achieve a historic triple crown of Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders, and Paris-Roubaix in the coming weeks, followed by the Ardennes Classics.

“I’m just so happy now that I’ve won San Remo that whatever comes next is fine, I will not beat my head or anything,” Pogačar said, rightly wanting to savour the moment.

“I’ll just try to recover from today and see how the Belgium races will go. Of course the shape is good, and I will go to Flanders and Roubaix with a strong team. And we go for the win in both races. I’m looking forward to Flanders and Roubaix now.”