From a Crash on Landing to Half a Wheel: Full Analysis of Pogačar's First Career Win at Milan-San Remo 2026

This Championship, He Waited a Long Time

Milano–Sanremo has long been regarded as the Monument “hardest for a strongman to control”: the route is almost entirely flat, and the decisive points come down to just the final two short climbs, the Cipressa and the Poggio, where it’s difficult to create real gaps in strength. For a rider known for climbing and long-range attacks, this is structurally the most unfriendly race of them all.

On March 21, 2026, Tadej Pogačar finally took it—and he did it through a script that involved a crash first, a comeback second, and a finish decided by half a wheel.

Timeline: What Happened in This Race

Three Decisive Factors

1. The 8 Kilometers After the Crash Were the Real Watershed

Hitting the ground with 32.5 km remaining, just a few kilometers from the Cipressa, a crash at that moment usually means the race is over—not because of the injury, but because the energy spent chasing back to the peloton tends to exact its price exactly at the decisive point.

This is where the team came into play. Teammates Vermeersch and Großschartner escorted him back to the group, effectively trading two riders’ energy to buy their leader’s position at the critical moment. It’s the least glamorous but most valuable job in a Classic.

It’s worth noting that van der Poel and van Aert were caught up in the same crash, so this wasn’t a one-sided loss—but whether a team can get its man back in the shortest possible time tests each squad’s manpower allocation in the moment.

2. The Attack Came 2.5 km Before the Cipressa Summit

The usual script is: push on the Cipressa, attack on the Poggio, sprint on Via Roma. Pogačar instead struck 2.5 km before the Cipressa summit, with 24.2 km to go—a full segment earlier than the norm.

The logic behind this decision is clear: if he waited until the Poggio to make his move, it would come down to a sprint, and sprinting is not his strength. Attacking early was the only way to drop the pure sprinters and some of the other favorites, whittling the group at the finish down to the smallest possible number.

The result was that he succeeded in reducing the race to three men: himself, Mathieu van der Poel, and Tom Pidcock.

3. He Dropped van der Poel on the Poggio, but Couldn’t Shake Pidcock

On the Poggio, he distanced van der Poel—given the years of rivalry between the two, that alone is big news. But Pidcock held on.

So the race ended in the form he least wanted: a one-on-one sprint on the Via Roma straight. He launched with 200 meters remaining and won by half a wheel.

In other words, this title wasn’t won through overwhelming superiority; it was built on a series of correct decisions plus a little margin to spare.

Why This Victory Matters So Much to His Career

Milano–Sanremo was the one Monument on his list that was “structurally unfavorable” to his style. The moment he took it, it became his 11th Monument, tying Roger De Vlaeminck’s career record; by mid-2026, his Monument total had reached 13, the second-most in history, behind only Eddy Merckx’s 19.

As for completing the full set of five Monuments, Paris–Roubaix is still missing—but that’s another story.

Practical Takeaways for Taiwanese Riders

• The first thing after a crash is to assess, not to chase hard. Pro riders have teammates, team cars, and an entire squad making judgments; for everyday riders, check your body and your bike first (especially brakes, shifting, and frame) before deciding whether to continue.
• If sprinting isn’t your strength, reduce the group to the smallest number. If you know you can’t out-sprint the fast finishers in your group, the only solution is to attack early and raise their fatigue cost, rather than leaving it to luck at the last moment.
• A teammate’s value shows in the crucial 10 minutes. The same applies to group rides and challenge events in Taiwan: agreeing in advance on “who pulls on which section” is often more efficient than everyone going it alone.

The above are all directions for training and tactical thinking—individual differences are large, so please adjust gradually according to your own condition.

Related Reading

• The Art of Leading Out and Protection: How a Team Delivers Its Leader to the Attack Point, from 2026 Milano–Sanremo
• After the Crash: Mental Resilience and Physical Recovery Rhythm in Sport, from 2026 Sanremo
• The Arithmetic of Milano–Sanremo’s Poggio: After 290 km, Those 5 Minutes Decide Everything
• All for One: How UAE Team Emirates XRG Is Built Around Pogačar—A Case Study from the 2026 Season