“When I crashed, for a second I thought it was all over” – Bloodied Tadej Pogacar battles back from Cipressa fall to finally win Milano-Sanremo

Tadej Pogacar’s long pursuit of Milano-Sanremo finally ended in triumph, but not before the race appeared to slip away from him entirely in the most chaotic moment of the day.

The world champion, already marked by a torn rainbow jersey and visible cuts after a heavy crash on the approach to the Cipressa, looked for a brief moment like another near-miss was unfolding in the Monument that had so often resisted him.

Instead, he turned that moment into the defining act of the race. “When I crashed, for a second I thought it was all over,” Pogacar said after the finish.

The incident came at the worst possible time. With the peloton accelerating towards the Cipressa and teams fighting for position, Pogacar was brought down alongside several key contenders. In a race where positioning is everything, even a small delay can prove decisive.

For Pogacar, it was more than that. “Luckily, I was quickly back on the bike, with not too much damage to me or the bike,” he explained. “Then I saw my team, Florian and Felix, who gave everything to get me back to the front.”

That immediate response proved crucial. Rather than losing contact entirely, Pogacar was able to rejoin the peloton before the decisive phase truly unfolded. “They gave me back hope, and the legs were still okay.”

What followed was a demonstration of collective strength.

UAE Team Emirates did not hesitate. Brandon McNulty and Isaac del Toro took control of the pace on the Cipressa, lifting the tempo and reshaping the race after the disruption of the crash. “Brandon and Isaac did the rest on the Cipressa,” Pogacar said. “Today, without the team, I probably go straight to the finish.”

That effort brought Pogacar back into position and allowed him to return to his original plan. Once there, he wasted no time.

As the pace intensified, Pogacar began to attack.

Repeated accelerations on the Cipressa thinned the group, and by the time the race reached the Poggio, the key contenders were already exposed. Pogacar went again on the final climb, looking to make the decisive move that had eluded him in previous editions.

This time, only one rider could follow. “I tried to go alone, but Tom was very strong. Chapeau also to Mathieu.”

Tom Pidcock matched every acceleration, staying glued to Pogacar’s wheel as the pair moved clear at the front of the race. Behind them, the chase never fully disappeared, but the race for victory was now ahead.

Into the final kilometres, cooperation became calculation.

Pogacar and Pidcock worked together to maintain their advantage, but as the Via Roma approached, the dynamic shifted. Pidcock refused to contribute in the final kilometre, forcing Pogacar to lead into the sprint. “I was lucky in the sprint,” Pogacar admitted. “Tom is really fast, and I was a bit afraid when he let me go first.”

That hesitation defined the finale. “I knew I couldn’t wait too long, and I was surprised in the end.”

Pogacar launched from the front and held his line to the finish, edging Pidcock in a photo finish to finally secure the victory that had long escaped him.

Milano-Sanremo has often been described as the hardest Monument to win, not because of its climbs, but because of how difficult it is to control. For Pogacar, it had been the one race that continued to resist him, despite his dominance elsewhere. Year after year, he had animated the finale, only to fall short.

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.

Bloodied, bruised, and momentarily believing his race was over, Pogacar responded with one of the most complete performances of his career. After years of trying, Milano-Sanremo is finally his.