photo credits @ Milan-San Remo
Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) claimed today’s Milan-San Remo Classic, with the World Champion narrowly beating Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5) in a spectacular two-man sprint on the Via Roma.
After recovering from a significant crash with 32 kilometers to go, Pogačar managed to drop two-time winner Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) early along the Poggio, after the trio had escaped on the penultimate climb of the Cipressa.
However, the Briton was able to stay on terms with his Slovenian rival on the descent, but a consistent turn of speed during the last few hundred meters finally earned Pogačar the title he had been hunting for in La Primavera, beating Pidcock by a mere half-a-wheel length.
Earlier, a flurry of attack got underway from the start, with Alexy Faure Prost (Picnic-PostNL), along with the Polti-VisitMalta duo of Dario Belletta and Mirco Maestri forming the day’s first breakaway effort.
The trio were later joined by Movistar’s Lorenzo Milesi and Manlio Moro, while Bardiani CSF-7 Saber’s Martin Marcellusi and Manuele Tarozzi, and Novo Nordisk’s Andrea Peron and David Lozano, eventually bridged their way to the front as well.
Alpecin-Premier Tech and Pinarello-Q36.5 took up the chase effort, while the breakaway group had opened up an advantage of around six minutes with 100 kilometers to go.
Inside the final 60 kilometers, it was UAE Team Emirates-XRG who took over the pacemaking, bringing the gap down to three minutes to the breakaway, which now numbered seven riders after Peron and Lozano had dropped back.
Moro, Marcellusi and Tarozzi were the next riders to lose contact with the group, followed by Prost also lost contact over the Capo Berta, leaving Milesi, Belletta and Maestri out front with a one-minute lead as they entered the final 38 kilometers.
Behind, disaster struck the peloton, ensnaring Pogačar, Wout van Aert, Matteo Jorgensen, Biniam Grimay and Giulio Pellizzari amongst a host of other riders. But, Pogačar was able to make his way back to the peloton in time for the penultimate climb of the race.
Indeed, before long, Pogačar was back on the wheel of his teammate Brandon McNulty as they led the way up the Cipressa, with the break having been caught just before the start of the climb.
Isaac del Toro was next to push the pace, launching Pogačar, who made his move 2.6 kilometers from the top.
From there, Pidcock and Van der Poel latched onto Pogačar’s wheel, as the trio quickly opened up a slight gap of around 30 seconds over the top of the climb.
With less then 10 kilometers to go, the trio’s margin had dropped to just 10 seconds, prompting Pogačar to accelerate, subsequently putting Van der Poel in trouble at the base of the Poggio, leaving only Pidcock to hang on.
With Van der Poel now distanced, Pogačar continued to attack repeatedly without managing to shake Pidcock, even on the descent.
Heading into the final kilometer, Pidcock took to the front, but Pogačar quickly came to the fore, while a resurgent Van Aert managed to launched himself clear of the chase.
Still, the two leaders remained outside of his grasp, earning the Belgian rider the final spot on the podium ahead of Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), while Pogačar held off Pidcock to seize the victory.
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