'I thought it was all over' - Pogacar feared the worst after Milan-Sanremo crash

Tadej Pogačar has utterly changed the dynamic of the great race since he started making it a target in 2022, but when he crashed on the gruppo’s passage through Imperia with 32km to go, it looked as though his Milan-Sanremo dream would have to wait another year.

Pogačar was quickly back on his bike, but with barely 5km left to the foot of the Cipressa and with half a minute to recoup on the peloton, it was hard to see a path to victory.

But, some way, somehow, Pogačar chased back on in the company of UAE Team Emirates teammates Florian Vermeersch and Felix Großschartner, catching the front group just as the Cipressa began. Brandon McNulty quickly guided him to the front, and then Isaac del Toro provided the final lead-out for his inevitable attack on the climb.

“When I crashed, for a second I thought it was all over, because to crash in Imperia, just before the most important part of the race, is not ideal,” Pogačar said afterwards. “But luckily, I was quickly back on the bike and there was not too much damage to me or the bike, just a little bit.

“Then I saw my teammates Florian and Felix, and they gave everything to come back to the front. They gave me back hope. The legs were still ok and then Brandon and Isaac did the rest on the Cipressa. Today, if there’s no team, then probably I would have gone straight to the finish. I would not have gone right onto the Cipressa but straight to the finish line.”

Instead, like he did twelve months ago, Pogačar blew the doors off the race with a searing acceleration on the Cipressa. When he attacked 2.5km from the summit, only Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5) and Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) could follow, and they held on for dear life as Pogačar set a record time on the ascent.

The trio combined well on the coast road to the Poggio, despite the headwind, and they still had 10 seconds in hand on the chasers as they began the climb. Immediately, Pogačar renewed his attacking, and his first acceleration did for Van der Poel, but Pidcock stuck defiantly to his wheel all the way to the top. 

“I was really happy everybody worked but it was a bit of a headwind, so not ideal like last year, it was a bit harder on the middle part,” Pogačar said. “But then when we hit the Poggio, it was a better wind this year than last year, so I tried to go all out there. Ideally, I would have gone alone but Tom Pidcock was really strong and also chapeau to Mathieu, he did an amazing race also.”

Pogačar and Pidcock would reach the Via Roma together, and the Briton cannily forced him to lead out the sprint. With Wout van Aert (Visma) closing fast, Pogačar couldn’t linger, but he timed his sprint and his bike throw just right to pip Pidcock to the line.

“Tom is a really fast guy, we all know this,” Pogačar said. “He’s punchy, he’s fast, he looks really in shape, so I was a bit afraid when he let me go first. I was waiting as far as I could, but I also knew I couldn’t wait so long because he probably has a better kick for me. I was surprised. In the end it was really close, and chapeau to him.”

The win means Pogačar has now won four of the five Monuments, with only Paris-Roubaix missing from his list. His total tally of Monuments now stands at 11. On this evidence, there is every chance that haul will increase still further before the Spring is out.