After crossing the finish line, everyone embraced him, starting with the day's great defeated riders. Tadej Pogacar deserved the victory on Via Roma and the first to admit it are his colleagues who once again had to tip their hats to the world champion.

«I'm happy. It wasn't the perfect victory because I suffered some injuries that will require time to heal, but I still can't believe I managed to win this crazy race. The Milan-Sanremo is incredible, it'll take me a while to understand that I've finally made it mine. The team did, as always, exceptional work, the crash risked ruining our plan, but in the end we achieved the result we had set our sights on» Pogacar said immediately after crossing the finish line first.

THE PRESS CONFERENCE. He thought, yes, that Sanremo was over when, 32 km from the finish, at Imperia, he hit the ground. Tadej Pogacar injured, his rainbow jersey covered in asphalt. But destiny had other plans. And so at the sixth attempt the Classicissima gave itself to the Slovenian, who had finished third twice in 2024 and 2025. Moreover, wearing the world champion's jersey: it had been since Beppe Saronni in 1983 (one of Pogacar's discoverers) that the reigning world champion hadn't won on Via Roma. «It's one of the most unpredictable races, which is why it's one of the most beautiful in the world. Maybe I'll miss the obsession of having to come back here to win, it's also a relief to have won it».

Pogacar, can you explain the key moment of the crash?

«It's something nobody wants to see and I hope everyone is okay – explains the phenomenal Slovenian from UAE Emirates. I got back up immediately, I slipped, I saw the Alpecin rider who was on top of my bike, I asked him if he was okay, he was in a lot of pain, it wasn't a nice scene to see. In those moments a thousand thoughts raced through my head. One of the first was, "well the race is over, I go in the car or I reach under the Cipressa and go straight to the finish". But then I thought of Bling (Michael Matthews, his great Australian friend, ed.) who couldn't come here to race because he broke his wrists in a training accident. This is his favorite race: I thought of him and his determination, and I started again».

What explanation did you give yourself?

«Crashing is part of these sports. It's never nice to hit the ground, that was a very fast point where everyone tries to be at the front, the roads are very narrow. There are too many riders who want to be at the front and at that moment you're not 100% able to brake. I found myself like in a sandwich and unfortunately a lot of people crashed with me».

Then the chase: he was 52 seconds behind the group's head and there were five kilometers left before the Cipressa climb.

«We had lost Christen, who broke his collarbone. I saw that Florian (Vermeersch) and Felix (Grossschartner) were waiting for me and did great work to bring me back into the group, just like McNulty at the entrance to the Cipressa was there ready to go and bring me to the front of the group. It was excellent, tremendous work by the team. The team gave me so much courage and hope, even over the radio, I couldn't let them down».

Two Flanders, three Liège and five Lombardy: now Sanremo.

«It was one of the best victories of my career, yes. I'll definitely need to sleep, think about it, reflect on it, also because I didn't quite understand what happened at the end and how I managed to win it. We were going all out, both me and Pidcock, it was a head-to-head sprint, I wasn't sure, at the line and even beyond, I couldn't tell if I had won or not».

You spent many months studying the secrets of Sanremo.

«It was really beautiful the moment I crossed the finish line. Finally, after winning this race, I won't have to come here to Sanremo every week to train anymore, it's always difficult mentally. All winter I came here, one or more times a week, training with Niccolò Bonifazio, who was a bit my mentor and showed me many different ways to ride these roads, the descents, the climbs. We trained a lot in these areas, and it's also a risk because traffic is very dangerous. Fortunately I see they're building many bike paths, so it will be better for cyclists».

Tell us about the finale.

«When on the Cipressa we were left with me, Pidcock and Van der Poel I thought that this year too I would podium and be disappointed. But right after I told myself that I had to try again on the Poggio, tire them out, try to drop them and win the sprint. It was a 50-50 situation. I managed to drop Mathieu at the beginning of the Poggio, but not Pidcock, and I knew he was in great form, Tom is fast and so in the sprint it would have been a very risky situation. Even finishing second would have been a better result than those obtained in previous years, but I had to think about winning».

Now the Northern campaign: first Flanders and then Roubaix, the Monument that's missing for him to enter the club of Van Looy, Merckx and De Vlaeminck, the only ones to have conquered all five.

«Yes, I think about Roubaix, but before that there's also Flanders. We've tried Roubaix several times, but now I want to enjoy Sanremo, I want to rest and see how it goes in Belgium. The form is good and Flanders and Roubaix are definitely two objectives I have in mind, also because I have a strong team. I'll try to win both races».