Tadej Pogacar smashes Cipressa training time as UAE search for Milano-Sanremo breakthrough

Tadej Pogacar’s pursuit of Milano-Sanremo has become one of the most intriguing unfinished chapters in modern cycling. The Slovenian has conquered the Tour de France, dominated the Monuments and claimed the rainbow jersey, yet the Classicissima remains one of the few major prizes still missing from his palmares.

A new development this week suggests that Pogacar and UAE Team Emirates - XRG are once again preparing to push the race to its limits.

During a training ride on the Ligurian coast, Pogacar recorded a new personal best on the Cipressa. According to Strava data from the ride, he climbed the 5.6-kilometre ascent in 8 minutes 51 seconds, improving his previous benchmark by six seconds.

The number immediately caught attention because of the reference point it offers. During last year’s race, Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel climbed the same ascent in 8 minutes and 57 seconds during their decisive move.

On paper, the Slovenian’s training effort therefore comes in faster than the pace set during one of the most explosive moments of the 2025 edition.

The Cipressa averages just over four percent, making it one of the most unusual climbs to shape a Monument. Long, fast and rarely decisive on its own, it has nevertheless become the focal point of UAE’s attempts to make Milano-Sanremo selective enough for Pogacar’s attacking style.

In recent editions of the race UAE have repeatedly tried to turn the Cipressa into the decisive launch point. By driving the pace at extraordinary speed, the team aim to thin the peloton before Pogacar launches his attack ahead of the Poggio.

Last year, the tactic almost delivered victory. Pogacar accelerated on the climb, and only Mathieu van der Poel was able to respond before the Dutchman eventually took the win in San Remo.

The Slovenian’s latest training ride suggests the pace could be pushed even further this time around.

There is, however, an important caveat when interpreting such efforts. Training performances can sometimes involve pacing from teammates or vehicles, and conditions are very different compared with a tightly controlled peloton in a Monument.

Still, the ride offers a clear signal of Pogacar’s intentions.

Milano-Sanremo has repeatedly proven to be one of the hardest races for the sport’s most aggressive riders to win. The climbs are short, the gradients modest, and the finale often rewards patience as much as strength.

But if Pogacar and UAE succeed in raising the pace of the Cipressa to even more extreme levels, the familiar Sanremo script may once again come under pressure.

And the race that has so far resisted Pogacar could yet become one of the defining battles of the 2026 season.