Results Milano-Sanremo 2026 | Tadej Pogacar makes history! Wins photo finish ahead of Tom Pidcock after crash chaos and Cipressa attacks

Milano-Sanremo 2026 was decided by the finest of margins, as Tadej Pogacar edged Tom Pidcock in a dramatic two-up sprint on the Via Roma after a race defined by crashes, chaos and relentless attacking.

For more than 200 kilometres, the first Monument of the season followed its familiar rhythm. A sizeable breakaway was allowed to build a comfortable advantage, while the peloton remained calm behind, largely controlled by Alpecin-Premier Tech through the tireless work of Silvan Dillier.

That controlled phase began to shift as UAE Team Emirates moved to the front. Domen Novak raised the tempo and began to bring the gap down, marking the transition from endurance to intensity as the race approached the Ligurian coast and the decisive sequence of climbs.

As always in Milano-Sanremo, positioning quickly became everything. The tension in the peloton rose sharply on the approach to the Cipressa, with teams fighting to place their leaders at the front before the race’s first truly decisive moment. It was in that fight for position that the race took a dramatic turn.

Tadej Pogacar crashed heavily in the run-in to the climb, bringing Wout van Aert, Biniam Girmay and Matteo Jorgenson down with him. The incident split the peloton and forced several contenders into immediate damage limitation at the worst possible moment.

All were able to remount, but the consequences were clear. Van Aert was delayed by a bike change and dropped back, while Pogacar, visibly marked from the fall, was forced into a chase just to regain contact before the climb he had targeted.

What followed was one of the defining passages of the race. After regaining his place early on the Cipressa, Pogacar wasted no time in taking control. UAE had already thinned the peloton through Brandon McNulty and Isaac del Toro, but it was Pogacar himself who transformed pressure into selection.

He attacked repeatedly, each acceleration stretching what remained of the peloton and forcing riders to their limit. Tom Pidcock proved the most resilient, repeatedly closing the gaps and refusing to allow the Slovenian to go clear. Mathieu van der Poel also remained in contention over the Cipressa, but the effort was beginning to show as the race intensified.

Despite Pogacar’s aggression, the climb did not deliver a decisive split. He crested first, but Pidcock and Van der Poel were still close enough to keep the race finely balanced as they dropped into the descent.

Behind them, however, the damage had been done. The peloton was reduced and stretched, and several riders were already on the limit heading towards the Poggio.

On the final climb, Pogacar made his move count. He attacked again and again, and this time the pressure proved too much for Van der Poel, who was distanced and unable to return before the summit. Pidcock, however, once more held firm, staying glued to Pogacar’s wheel and turning the race into a two-man contest at the front.

That moment reshaped Milano-Sanremo 2026. Van der Poel was left chasing and was soon absorbed into a group that included Van Aert, who had fought his way back into contention after the earlier crash. The race for victory was now ahead, but the outcome remained uncertain.

Over the top of the Poggio, Pogacar and Pidcock committed fully to their move.

Despite brief moments of hesitation, the pair worked together on the descent and into the final kilometres, aware that any loss of momentum would allow the chasing group to close them down.

Pidcock was not content to simply follow. He pushed the pace on the descent, applying pressure and ensuring the effort remained high, while Pogacar responded immediately, matching the tempo as the two riders drove towards Sanremo.

Behind them, the race was still alive. A reduced peloton continued to chase, with Van der Poel brought back and Van Aert launching a late attack in a final attempt to bridge across to the leaders. The move briefly raised the tension once more, but the gap proved just too large to close.

Up front, the dynamic changed inside the final kilometre. With the victory within reach, Pidcock refused to contribute, forcing Pogacar to take control at the front as they approached the Via Roma. The cooperation that had carried them clear gave way to a tactical standoff, with both riders aware that the Monument would be decided in a sprint.

Pogacar launched from the front, committing early and forcing Pidcock to respond. The British rider came alongside in the closing metres, the pair almost inseparable as they surged towards the line. It took a photo finish to decide the winner, but Pogacar had done just enough. After years of aggressive racing and near misses in Milano-Sanremo, he finally takes victory in cycling’s longest Monument.

For Pidcock, it was a ride that confirmed his place among the very best. He matched Pogacar on both the Cipressa and the Poggio, held his wheel under repeated attacks and pushed him all the way to the line, only to fall short by the narrowest of margins.

Behind them, the sprint for third played out from the reduced peloton after Van Aert’s late move was brought back, rounding out a finale that delivered both chaos and precision in equal measure.

Milano-Sanremo 2026 had promised a battle of the sport’s biggest names. It delivered that and more, with crashes, comebacks and a photo finish ensuring the first Monument of the season lived up to its billing.