"The next Eddy Merckx of our generation, or any generation": Chris Horner's inside look at the tactics that made Pogacar's Milano-Sanremo possible

Tadej Pogacar has finally done it. After five previous attempts, the World Champion claimed his first Milano-Sanremo title on Saturday, beating Tom Pidcock by half a wheel in a dramatic two-up sprint on the Via Roma. It was one of the most chaotic and memorable editions in recent memory, and former American cyclist Chris Horner gave a detailed analysis of everything that unfolded in his podcast.

With around 35 kilometres to go, just before the Cipressa, disaster struck. "It's a big one. Big, big one," Horner said as the crash unfolded. Pogacar went down hard, and he had company. Wout van Aert and Matteo Jorgenson from Visma-Lease a Bike were also on the tarmac."

"Wout van Aert's going to casually take his bike over to the left side, lean it against the building, and then he's going to start walking back out to the road," Horner described, painting the image of a race suddenly turned upside down.

But UAE Team Emirates had kept their heads. Isaac del Toro had been deliberately held at the front during the chaos. "Tactically, they have been amazing at this moment," Horner pointed out. While Pogacar was chasing back with the help of McNulty, del Toro was already in position to set things up on the Cipressa.

Once Pogacar regained contact with the peloton on the lower slopes of the Cipressa, UAE went to work immediately. McNulty hit the front hard, and when he blew, del Toro took over. "After about 300, 400 meters of a huge acceleration from Isaac del Toro, it's Pogi time," Horner said.

The young Mexican, who Horner had backed heading into the race, silenced any doubters. "Some people had commented that they had a weaker team. I told you on Beyond the Coverage, they got a stronger team because they have the Mexican rider here and he's a first-page rider now here in 2026."

When Pogacar finally threw his own acceleration with roughly a third of the Cipressa still to climb, only Tom Pidcock and Mathieu van der Poel could follow. Filippo Ganna dropped his head, and Mads Pedersen could not close the gap. "Tadej Pogacar is going ballistic on the front," Horner said as the trio crested the Cipressa around 25 seconds clear of a rapidly fading peloton.

Van der Poel, who had looked uncomfortable for much of the finale despite pulling on the front, lasted only a few hundred metres into the Poggio before cracking. "Mathieu van der Poel, bam, he explodes!" Horner said. That left two: Pogacar and Pidcock. The Briton was immense throughout, refusing to crack under repeated attacks. "Tactically, he has been absolutely marvelous through Milan-San Remo," Horner noted.

On the Via Roma, with the race down to a two-man sprint, Horner identified the one moment that cost Pidcock his chance. "When he did that jump, he stayed between the fencing and the back wheel there of the Slovenian, who moved a little bit to the fencing that tied up Pidcock. Then he had to come back around and start a sprint at 75 meters to go." A tiny mistake, but at the worst possible time.

In the end, Horner had nothing but admiration for both riders: "Tom Pidcock, a tip of the hat because you were magnificent in today's Milan-San Remo." As for Pogacar, who now has four of cycling's five Monuments, Horner was in no doubt about his place in history: "The next Eddy Merckx of our generation - there is no doubt about that, or any generation." Only Paris-Roubaix remains.