Even for what Tadej Pogačar calls “One of the most unpredictable races in the world,” Saturday’s Milan-San Remo was chaotic. The world champion crashed going into the Cipressa, one of two pivotal climbs in the last 25 km of the 298-km Monument. He then came back to win in spectacular fashion in a two-up sprint with Tom Pidcock.
“It’s a horror going into Cipressa”
Crashes happen in cycling. Pogačar’s couldn’t have happened at a much worse time.
“It’s never good to crash,” Pogačar said in the post race interview. “It’s a horror going into Cipressa. Everyone needs to be a the front and the road’s are so narrow.”
The world champion was the first two go down, taking Wout van Aert and other top riders down with him.
“Maybe it was a moment of not 100 per cent focus,” the world champion admitted. “I took a lot of people down with me. I hope everyone’s alright.”
“My first thought was just that it’s over”
Despite obvious signs of a crash down his left side, with a torn jersey and road rash already showing, both rider and bike were good enough to continue. The Slovenian said that he was able to get up quickly
“I mean, after I stopped sliding. It was quite a long slide,” Pogačar told the post-race press with a laugh.
“Your mind goes through all the things. My first though was just that it’s over. I though maybe I’d just go with the team car, or just go directly to San Remo.”
The UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider says it was the sight of his teammates waiting for him that turned those initial impulses around.
“Florian (Vermeersch) and Felix (Grossschartner), they gave everything to get back to the front. They gave me hope again. I could not give up”
He went on to thank U.S. rider Brandon McNulty and his teammate Isaac del Toro for their efforts on, and after Cipressa.
A hectic road to the finish
Back at the front after a frantic moment, the work was far from done. Pogačar still had to, you know, beat Mathieu van der Poel, Tom Pidcock and a field of favourites. Something he had yet to be able to do in his last five appearances at La Primavera.
After attacking on the Cipressa dropped the field, except Pidcock and van der Poel, the Slovenian said he had little choice in his tactics on the Poggio.
“When van der Poel was with us at the Cipressa, I thought, it’s 50/50. He is very strong. I figured I will go again on Poggio.”
That tactic worked. Van der Poel, who spoiled…
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