"They’ve tried going up the Poggio full gas... it’s just not possible to go any faster" - Sean Kelly unsure how Tadej Pogacar & UAE can jettison fastmen at Milano-Sanremo
Cycling
This weekend in Italy, the first Monument of the 2025 road season will be up for grabs at Milano-Sanremo. As is the case whenever he takes to the startline, world champion Tadej Pogacar will be amongst the leading contenders for the win, but as the previous years have shown, the Slovenian is yet to crack the winning formula for Milano-Sanremo.
In the last three years, Pogacar has been getting consistently closer to the win, without having the ultimate success he craves. 5th in 2022, 4th in 2023 and then last year, on the podium for the first time in 3rd as Jasper Philipsen prevailed in a reduced bunch sprint. And it's that sprint finale that Irish cycling icon Sean Kelly sees Pogacar having problems with again in 2025.
"Winning Strade Bianche for a third time was a great victory for Pogacar, but he has a big challenge coming up at Milano-Sanremo. Looking at the last couple of years, it’s going to be very difficult for him to make a difference in the final," muses the two-time Milano-Sanremo winner in a column for Cycling News.
In the past, Pogacar and UAE Team Emirates - XRG have attempted to jettison the faster finishers by raising the pace on the Poggio. Whilst this is potentially the plan again, Kelly is unsure how much more savage UAE can make the climb, given all their previous attempts have failed. "If he can do something, the only place to do it will be the Poggio. If you go away on the Cipressa with two or three guys, there’s always still a peloton of 30 to 40 guys at least who will be chasing you between the Cipressa and the Poggio, so the stay away from there is just not possible, you have to try something earlier," Kelly says. "What can Pogacar and UAE do though? They’ve tried going up the Poggio full gas and trying to put everyone in difficulty, but they don’t seem to be able to make it hard enough, because so many more riders are able to get over this sort of climb now, the sprinters as well as riders like Filippo Ganna, Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert."
"We’ve seen UAE push on at 100% and really set an infernal pace, but it’s just not possible to go any faster. So how do you get rid of the fast riders?" Kelly questions. "Unless you get a really bad day where the weather conditions are horrible and everyone arrives at the Poggio fatigued and wet and cold, then it’s really not a possibility to get rid of enough people."
This weekend, all the questions regarding Pogacar and UAE Team Emirates - XRG's tactics will be answered. Can the Slovenian get it right and claim the Monument win at last? Time will tell.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
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