Pogačar Wins Dramatic Milan-San Remo After Crash & Van Aert Fightback

It is hard to believe that across 117 editions of Milan-San Remo a new script would be written. Such was the case Saturday when three contenders crashed 32km from the finish and two of them, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) and Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike), regrouped and battled to podium finishes.

The World Champion, Pogačar, remarkably recovered to claim his first La Classicissima victory in dramatic style. He picked up his bike after the crash, just 6km short of the preferred attacking climb of the Cipressa, and launched several accelerations to close down the peloton quickly. He would later attack midway up the Cipressa alongside Tom Pidcock, ultimately outdueling his rival in the closing meters.

Defending Milan-San Remo winner Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) also remounted after the crash, riding at the front of the race for a period. However, an injured hand sustained in the fall ultimately hampered his performance, causing him to fall off the pace on the Poggio.

While Pogačar’s resurgence dominated the narrative, Wout van Aert’s ride was equally impressive, albeit less heralded in the immediate aftermath. He crashed alongside Pogačar and others, requiring a bike change after the incident, along with teammate Matteo Jorgenson. Despite the setback, Van Aert fought his way back into contention, ultimately securing third place with a late surge.

“I saw him on the ground when we crashed… next time I saw him was at the finish,” Van Aert remarked, expressing his surprise at Pogačar’s rapid recovery and subsequent victory, as reported by cyclinguptodate.com.

Van Aert’s late attack caught many by surprise, including those around him. “My legs were very good. Unfortunately, I had to use them in the chase,” Van Aert said to Sporza after the finish. “I wouldn’t be able to sprint to third place just like that in that group. When I saw that [Giulio] Ciccone was still working for [Mads] Pedersen, I decided in a flash to go. [It was] a spur-of-the-moment decision.”

Pedersen, riding for Lidl-Trek, appeared unaware of Van Aert’s proximity as the race neared its conclusion. The Visma-Lease a Bike team had successfully brought Van Aert back into the pack after the Cipressa, but Pedersen only had one teammate remaining to support him on the Via Roma. Unable to match Van Aert’s acceleration, Pedersen finished fourth.

Van Aert was seeking a second title at Milan-San Remo, having won in 2020. This result marks his third podium finish in the race, achieved in particularly challenging circumstances.

“If the moment came, the plan was to go for it. Unfortunately, it wasn’t for the win, but after the crash and my bike change, this was the best possible outcome,” Van Aert said in a team statement regarding his late attack.

“We fought back well as a team and kept believing in a strong result. I’m very happy with my podium finish.”

On the Via Roma in San Remo, Van Aert acknowledged the contributions of Jorgenson, who assisted him in rejoining the peloton, and teammates Edoardo Affini and Owain Doull, who aided in the recovery effort after the crash. Affini was stopped behind the crash, and both he and Doull helped the duo reconnect with the back of the peloton.

“It’s a shame I couldn’t fight for the victory, but that’s how it goes. I kept pushing after the crash and gave it everything I could. To still finish third in the end is, of course, very satisfying.”

Saturday’s Milan-San Remo proved to be a race of resilience and unexpected turns. While Pogačar’s victory will rightly dominate headlines, the performance of Wout van Aert, battling back from a crash to secure a podium finish, underscores the unpredictable nature of cycling’s most prestigious one-day race.