“We were waiting 365 days for this moment” – Emotional UAE boss hails Tadej Pogacar after long-awaited Milano-Sanremo breakthrough

The wait, the pressure and the repeated near-misses finally gave way on the Via Roma, as Tadej Pogacar secured the Milano-Sanremo victory that had long eluded him.

For UAE Team Emirates, this was not just another Monument win. It was the end of a storyline that had been building for years, with Pogacar repeatedly lighting up the race without ever managing to convert that aggression into victory.

On Saturday, that changed.

And for team boss Mauro Gianetti, the emotion of the moment was clear. “This morning I said we were waiting 365 days for this moment, and finally we did it,” he said in conversation with TNT Sports after the finish.

Milano-Sanremo has a unique place in the sport, both in its history and in the difficulty it presents to even the strongest riders.

Pogacar had already proven himself across Grand Tours and Monuments, but Sanremo remained unfinished business. Its unpredictable nature and finely balanced finale had repeatedly denied him, even when he appeared to be the strongest rider in the race.

That is what made this victory different. “All the champions dream to win this race, because of its place in history,” Gianetti added. “Having it on the palmares is huge.”

The victory was not straightforward. Pogacar’s race was thrown into doubt in the run-in to the Cipressa, when a heavy crash disrupted the peloton and forced him into an immediate chase at the worst possible moment. Several key contenders were caught up, turning the approach to the climb into a test of recovery as much as positioning.

Where the race could have slipped away, Pogacar instead took control. After regaining contact, he attacked repeatedly on the Cipressa, forcing a selection and reshaping the race.

Only Tom Pidcock was able to stay with him as the pace lifted again on the Poggio, where the decisive move finally formed. The race for victory was reduced to two.

From there, the finale became a test of precision. Pogacar and Pidcock worked together to hold off the chasing group, carrying a narrow advantage into the final kilometres. Inside the last kilometre, the cooperation broke down, with Pogacar forced to lead into the sprint.

What followed was one of the closest finishes in recent editions of the race. Pogacar launched first and held his line to the finish, edging Pidcock in a photo finish to finally secure victory in cycling’s longest Monument.

For Gianetti, the performance went beyond the result itself. “It’s incredible. So difficult to explain the emotion in this moment. The team did well. Tadej showed something else. Motivation, everything. It’s just impressive. Wow.”

Milano-Sanremo is often described as the hardest Monument to win, not because of its climbs, but because of how difficult it is to control.

For years, Pogacar had come close without success. This time, even a crash in the most critical phase of the race was not enough to stop him. Instead, it became part of the story.

After repeated attempts and near-misses, Pogacar now has his Sanremo victory.