"I'd never seen anything like that": Opponents are left speechless by Tadej Pogacar's Sanremo comeback

Tadej Pogacar has taken another step towards placing his name alongside the cycling's greats last Saturday. At just 27 years of age, the Slovenian is only missing the Paris-Roubaix, Vuelta a Espana and Olympic gold in his palmares following his most recent Milano-Sanremo triumph. And while the Hell of the North is on Pogacar's programme for this spring, we're most likely going to have to wait for Pogacar's return to Vuelta at least another year.

Because for 2026, he has prepared an attempt to join Jacques Anquetil, Miguel Indurain, Bernard Hinault and Eddy Merckx as a five-time Tour de France champion. And for Lidl-Trek's Carlos Verona, there's no doubt that anybody not-named Jonas Vingegaard will find it near-impossible to stop Pogacar in July.

"I don’t know, I haven’t thought about it. Everything can be very different. It’s clear that Pogacar and Vingegaard are a step above, but cycling is unpredictable. In a three-week Grand Tour, anything can happen," he told Marca.

And after his epic showcase of power at Sanremo, it's become quite hard to still question whether Pogacar can be defeated. "What I saw yesterday, honestly, I'd never seen before. The ease with which he did it was impressive. To see a rider crash at a crucial moment and be able to recover like he did on the Cipressa is incredible. I think it reflects the kind of rider he is."

So, for Verona, it's quite a pleasure even to get to race alongside a man he deems to become a legend once he hangs up his bicycle. "For me, he's probably the best in history. We have to enjoy him while he's around. Sometimes he reduces the uncertainty at the start, but he also helps cycling grow."

Many believed that, in order to collect all five Monument victories, Milano-Sanremo crown would prove the hardest to obtain for the world champion. But there's no longer need for doubts. Now it feels almost like a formality that the best climber in the world should eventually steal the pride of cobble experts - the Paris-Roubaix.

"I do believe he will win all five Monuments before retiring. He has the ability to do it all. His motivation will be to keep achieving milestones, and as long as he has goals like that, I think he still has a long way to go," Verona concluded, looking ahead to seasons to come. Pogacar could then become the first non-Belgian rider to collect all five Monuments.