"I don't hate Milano-Sanremo but one year it needs to go right" - Pogacar fails to deliver on UAE's almost perfect preparation
Cycling
Tadej Pogacar had the ultimate goal of winning Milano-Sanremo this weekend and nothing but that would be a satisfying result. The World Champion and UAE Team Emirates - XRG blew up the race and were incredibly close to succeeding in their mission but only came away with a podium result after perfectly launching an attack on the Cipressa.
For Pogacar, who has now three years of consecutive attempts at finally winning it - in several different ways - has now seen once again a stronger rival take over him. "I don't hate Milan-San Remo but one year it needs to go right," the Slovenian told Cyclingnews in words that are quite marking, a display of the disappointment he at times seems to not show. "For sure we will come for more next year".
UAE had a lineup built piece-by-piece to tackle the Italian monument, and everyone but Isaac del Toro seemed to have played their role to perfection. The Mexican struggled with positioning at the entrance of the Cipressa, but there was no delaying the plan. Tim Wellens and Jhonatan Narváez set a nuclear pace that shred the peloton to bits and then Pogacar's attack created the big gaps. In reality, the only thing preventing him from winning likely was the fact that Mathieu van der Poel managed to follow him - no-one else managed to. One rider only managed to derail UAE's plans.
"We did everything possible, not just me. I can be really proud about how we rode today. Every year we do better and we showed more aggression and more willpower on the Cipressa. Today we did an amazing race, I tried to finish it off, but there were two guys faster than me," the Slovenian laments.
"I tried to go alone on the Cipressa, but it would be really optimistic for it to work but I was also happy to go away with Mathieu and Filippo". In reality taking off solo in the Cipressa was very much possible, even likely, but knowing this plan is now possible to win Sanremo, we could see UAE trying to deploy it once again next year.
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Third place for @TamauPogi in Sanremo.#MilanoSanremo#WeAreUAE pic.twitter.com/Nvn7tWuFS8
— @UAE-TeamEmirates (@TeamEmiratesUAE) March 22, 2025
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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