Milano-Sanremo thrown into chaos as Tadej Pogacar, Wout van Aert, Matteo Jorgenson and Biniam Girmay all crash before Cipressa

Milano-Sanremo 2026 has been thrown into chaos just before the Cipressa, with several of the race’s biggest contenders caught up in a crash at the worst possible moment of the day.

Tadej Pogacar was the first to go down in the high-speed run-in to the climb, bringing a group of riders with him as the peloton surged towards the point where the race is often decided.

Among those caught out were Wout van Aert, Biniam Girmay and Matteo Jorgenson, with the incident briefly splitting the peloton and immediately altering the shape of the race.

All of the riders were able to get back on their bikes, but the timing could hardly have been worse. The Cipressa was only a few kilometres away, and positioning is critical at that point in the race. Even a short delay can leave riders too far back when the decisive accelerations begin.

The crash is particularly significant given what had been expected from the race. Much of the pre-race focus had centred on Pogacar as the rider most likely to force the race open on the Cipressa. His most realistic path to victory was seen as an early move on the climb, using pressure to distance the sprinters before the Poggio. That scenario is now uncertain.

Van Aert and Girmay were also among the riders expected to play a major role in the finale, which increases the impact of the incident on the overall outcome of the race.

Despite the crash, the pace at the front of the peloton has not dropped. Teams continue to drive towards the Cipressa as the breakaway’s advantage disappears.

That leaves the riders involved in the crash needing to recover quickly and fight their way back into position before the climb begins.

In a race where timing and positioning are everything, this was the worst possible moment for something to go wrong. Milano-Sanremo 2026 has not followed the expected script and the race has been reshaped just as it reaches its most important phase.