Cycling superstar Tadej Pogacar, the reigning world champion and four-time Tour de France winner, has claimed the first Monument of the year, Milan-San Remo. He secured his victory after an intense battle with British rider Tom Pidcock, with both riders registering the same finish time.
The 27-year-old Slovenian launched his decisive attack 22 km from the finish of the grueling 298 km classic. Only Pidcock and Mathieu van der Poel could initially match his pace, though Van der Poel eventually dropped back. A late surge from Wout Van Aert (winner of the 2020 edition) secured him third place, just four seconds behind the leading duo.
Milan-San Remo kicks off the series of five “Monuments,” one-day races renowned as the most demanding and prestigious on the cycling calendar. Four of these take place in spring: the Tour of Flanders (April 5), Paris-Roubaix (April 12), Liège-Bastogne-Liège (April 26), while Il Lombardia (October 10) concludes the season after the summer. With this inaugural Milan-San Remo victory, Pogacar now boasts four Monument wins, with only Paris-Roubaix remaining to complete his collection.