Pogacar's triumph at Milano-Sanremo ends a 43-year drought for the rainbow jersey holder

Tadej Pogacar has done the unthinkable, claiming his first-ever Milano-Sanremo victory in spectacular fashion. Despite suffering a heavy crash just 33 kilometers from the finish line, the Slovenian superstar fought his way back to win a thrilling sprint against Tom Pidcock, breaking a 43-year-old curse for the reigning World Champion in the process.

The storyline of this edition of Milan-San Remo is alone enough to grant it legendary status. With just 33 kilometers remaining, right before the crucial Cipressa climb, Pogacar hit the deck. However, the UAE Team Emirates - XRG leader miraculously remounted, chased back to the peloton, and proceeded to completely blow the race apart on the penultimate ascent of the Primavera.

The chaotic finale culminated in a frantic two-up sprint to the line, where the Slovenian managed to outpower Tom Pidcock to take the monumental win.

However, what makes Pogacar's triumph even more spectacular is the jersey on his back. By raising his arms in victory on the Via Roma as the reigning World Champion, he accomplished a very rare feat. You have to go all the way back to 1983 (which is already 43 years ago, time really flies) to find the last time a rider won the opening Monument of the season while wearing the iconic rainbow bands.

The last man to pull off this incredible double was Italian legend Giuseppe Saronni. In 1983, the reigning World Champion Saronni isolated himself on the Poggio and won with almost a full minute's advantage over his closest pursuer, Guido Bontempi.

By conquering San Remo in the world champion's outfit, Pogacar joins an incredibly exclusive club of cycling royalty. Aside from Pogacar and Saronni, only three other riders in the history of the sport have achieved this milestone: Eddy Merckx (1972 and 1975), Felice Gimondi (1974) and Alfredo Binda (1931).