Slovenia's cycling superstar wins Milan-San Remo

Slovenia's cycling superstar Tadej Pogačar has won this year's Milan-San Remo, one of the two Monuments that have so far eluded him, despite a crash at a key stage in the race.

He managed to come back and beat the Brit Tom Pidcock in a dramatic sprint finish, CE Report quotes The Slovenia Times.

Considered a sprinters classic race with a distance of almost 300 kilometres, Milan-San Remo does not feature any lengthy steep climbs, which is one of the main reasons it was not conquered by Pogačar earlier.

His best result in the cycling season's opening Monument race before this year was third place, but in his sixth attempt he claimed the long-sought win and became the first reigning world champion to do it since 1983.

The road to victory was not easy though. Approaching the Cipressa, the most challenging climb in the longest one-day race in professional cycling, Pogačar, a UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider, was well positioned and looking ready to give it his all to add the Milan-San Remo title to his collection of trophies.

However, 32 kilometres from the finish line, he was involved in a major crash. With his skinsuit ripped to shreds, he quickly hopped back on the bike and carried on. His teammates helped him return to the peloton just in time for the Cipressa segment of the race.

"When I crashed, I thought for a second that it's all over because I crashed in Imperia, just before the most important part of the race, which was not ideal. But luckily I was quickly back on the bike, and there was not too much damage to me or to the bike, just a little bit," he said after the race.

The Slovenian thanked his team for helping him get back and providing him with a launch pad during the Cipressa climb.

After he attacked there he could not shake off Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5) and Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin- Premier Tech), a Dutch cyclist considered his biggest rival in the race. The three exchanged duties for a while, but during the last climb of the race, the Poggio, van der Poel fell behind, and it became clear that the battle for the first place will be fought between Pogačar and Pidcock.

In a finish full of suspense until the very last second, Pogi, as he is called by his fans, beat Pidcock with the gap of half a wheel. Looking quite emotional after securing the win, Pogačar said he was a bit concerned before the final kilometre because he knew the Brit is a punchy cyclist but added that he "was lucky in the sprint".

This was the Slovenian's second appearance this season after winning Strade Bianche earlier this month.

He has now joined Roger De Vlaeminck on eleven career victories in cycling's five Monument classics, the second most Monument wins ever, sitting only behind the legendary Eddy Merckx, who is on 19 wins. Given that the 27-year-old Slovenian has just entered what are considered the best years in a rider's career, he may still match that result or even eclipse it.

In addition to Milan-San Remo, the most prestigious one-day races are also the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and Giro di Lombardia.

To win all of them Pogačar now only has Paris-Roubaix left to conquer. Dubbed "The Hell of the North", the race will take place on 12 April this year. In his debut last year Pogi finished second after a crash. He has said that winning the only two missing puzzles in his Monument collection means more to him than pursuing a fifth Tour de France title.

This year's Milan-San Remo featured several other Slovenian riders, including Domen Novak, one of Pogačar's key domestiques. There was also Matej Mohorič (Bahrain Victorious), who won the 2022 iteration of the race and finished 15th this year, and Primož Roglič (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), who placed 37th.

Photo: ANSA/STA