“That actually makes it a little scary”; Tadej Pogacar on the key moment in Milan–Sanremo

Tuesday, 17 March 2026 at 08:27

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Saturday is the day: the first showdown between Tadej Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel of the spring cycling season. The winner of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad looked ahead to Milan-Sanremo during Tirreno-Adriatico, just as his Slovenian counterpart had done after his victory in his first race of the season: Strade Bianche.

Van der Poel has already won La Primavera twice, while Pogacar is still chasing his first victory in Sanremo. The Slovenian reiterated in Siena that, as far as he’s concerned, Milan-Sanremo is the hardest race to win.

“It’s completely different from Strade Bianche, the Omloop, Flanders, or any other spring race,” said the UAE Emirates-XRG team leader.

“Until we reach the coast, it’s a very easy race. But then it immediately gets extremely tense, from the moment we hit the coast,” said Pogacar. “It’s constantly left, right, through villages at high speed.”

In the final, positioning is crucial, he knows. “The run-in to Cipressa in particular is very dangerous, partly because all the strong riders—classic types, sprinters, and riders like me—want to be at the front. That actually makes it a bit scary,” he admits honestly.

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mou

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600m before Cipressa @TamauPogi you have to be on the left side of the road, there is always enough space for three or four to break through to the front in the next 300-400m with an excellent leadout of Vermeersch. If I see you on the right again, I know you're retarded🤷

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7:31 AM · Mar 16, 2026

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Del Toro supports Pogacar

On that climb this year, Pogacar is missing Tim Wellens and Jhonatan Narvaez, who were sidelined by injury—the riders who gave him a boost in previous seasons. Instead, Florian Vermeersch, who scouted the final stretch again on Sunday, and Isaac del Toro are on hand.

“I’ve been in Van der Poel’s slipstream a lot this week; maybe that will help in Milan-Sanremo,” the Mexican said after winning Tirreno-Adriatico. “I’m riding for Tadej and not for my own result. Narvaez and Wellens won’t be there, so I want to do my best as a teammate.”

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Pogacar: “You have to give it 110 percent”

Del Toro will likely take on that role on the Cipressa, where Pogacar explained it further. “Once you get to the Cipressa, 100 percent isn’t enough. You have to give it 110 percent to make a difference.”

“And that also applies to the Poggio, where you need even more than 110 percent. We’re climbing those ascents at 40 kilometers per hour, so it’s advantageous to be in the wheel,” the Slovenian knows from experience in recent years, when he couldn’t shake off Van der Poel.

“And then you have to descend to Sanremo, which is a technical descent. All in all, it’s a very unusual race, but that’s exactly what makes it interesting. And beautiful.”

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Tom van der Salm

Tom van der Salm (27) comes from the charming town of Zeilberg (Deurne) in the Netherlands and has been working as editor-in-chief & journalist at IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, In de Leiderstrui, since 2019. He travels with the peloton from the Tour de France to the AlUla Tour and from the World Championships in Rwanda or Canada to the Zilvermeercross in Mol. In his spare time he enjoys playing football, mountain biking, running, walking with his Labrador/Stabyhoun, investing, holidays, (specialty) beers, reading, cooking and watching sports & documentaries!

Contact: [email protected]

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