Tadej Pogačar just added another Monument, Milano-Sanremo 2026, to his legendary resume. And he did it the hard way.

The World Champion finally conquered Milano-Sanremo. He survived a massive crash and beat Tom Pidcock in a breathless two-rider sprint on the Via Roma. It was a race of pure survival and unmatched firepower.

Pogacar said post race, "It's not the most beautiful because I will be licking my wounds. But I'm just really happy to take the win."

"You never know after such a long race, but I knew one thing... that Tom is a super fast guy. He looked super good through all the race."

"I don't have much experience with one-to-one sprints, especially against him. I knew it would be tough and it was very close, so congrats to Tom."

Chaos Before the Cipressa

The tension was incredibly high as the peloton approached the crucial final climbs. The nerves had already claimed victims earlier in the day. About 65 kilometers from the finish line, Ineos Grenadiers suffered a brutal blow. Michal Kwiatkowski, Ben Turner, and Connor Swift went down hard.

Then disaster struck the main favorites.

With just 30 kilometers to go, the race scenario completely flipped. Pogačar suddenly crashed right in the run up to the Cipressa. He took down Wout van Aert, Matteo Jorgenson, Biniam Girmay, and Giulio Pellizzari with him.

Mathieu van der Poel narrowly avoided hitting the deck but was heavily delayed. Jasper Philipsen had to sacrifice his own chances to drag the Dutchman back to the front.

Van Aert suffered minor injuries and lost over a minute dealing with mechanical issues. His day looked completely ruined.

Brandon McNulty Saves The Day

Pogačar was battered on his left side. But panic is simply not in his vocabulary.

This is where Brandon McNulty stepped up to save the day. The American rider delivered an absolute masterclass. He helped pace his bruised leader back into contention. Then McNulty went straight to the front on the Cipressa and completely buried himself. His massive effort shredded what was left of the peloton.

Nothing was going to stop UAE Team Emirates.

Pogačar Goes Nuclear On The Cipressa

With the launchpad set by McNulty, Pogačar went nuclear.

He unleashed a violent acceleration on the steep gradients of the Cipressa. He wanted to draw out his biggest rivals, and it worked perfectly. Only Van der Poel and Pidcock could answer the call. The superstar trio escaped off the front.

But the pace was incredibly hot. The unrelenting pressure finally cracked the two time winner. Van der Poel was dropped early on the slopes of the Poggio.

Pidcock, however, refused to break. The British rider matched Pogačar pedal stroke for pedal stroke. He stuck to the Slovenian over the top of the Poggio. He then matched his every single move on the treacherous, winding descent down into Sanremo.

Tadej Pogačar Versus Tom Pidcock In Sanremo

It all came down to a two man drag race on the iconic Via Roma.

Pidcock and Pogačar went head to head in the final meters. It was an electrifying sprint. Pidcock nearly had him, but Pogačar found just enough speed to edge out the Pinarello Q36.5 rider by half a wheel. It was a masterful, gritty victory.

Just four seconds behind them, an amazing story unfolded. Wout van Aert fought through his crash injuries and mechanical nightmares. The Visma Lease a Bike rider launched a brilliant late attack out of the chase group. He carried all his momentum through the final kilometer to steal an incredible third place.

Pogačar finally has his Milano-Sanremo title. And it is one we will never forget.

 "When I crashed, for a second I've thought it was all over," he said. "It happened in Imperia, just before the most important part of the race. It was not ideal. Luckily I was quickly back on the bike. 

"There wasn't much damage to me and the bike. Then I saw my teammates Florian [Vermeersxh] and Felix [Grossschartner]. They gave everything to bring me back to the front. They gave me hope. 

"With no team, I would have gone straight to Sanremo to watch the finish. Before the Poggio, there was some headwind. It wasn't ideal like last year. 

"I was a bit afraid of Tom Pidcock. He did an amazing race too and it was very close. We all know he's punchy and fast. I couldn't wait too long so I launched the sprint but chapeau to him as well."