In a thrilling edition of Milan-San Remo, Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) claimed his second victory in the race, out-sprinting Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) and Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) in a dramatic finale. The trio had broken away from the peloton on the Cipressa, the race’s penultimate climb, setting the stage for a nail-biting finish.
The decisive move began with an attack from Pogačar, which only van der Poel, Ganna, and young French rider Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ) could follow. Grégoire eventually fell back under Pogačar’s relentless pace, but van der Poel clung to the Slovenian’s wheel. Ganna, despite being dropped on both the Cipressa and the final climb of the Poggio, fought valiantly to rejoin the leaders.
Entering the final stretch, Ganna bridged the gap to van der Poel and Pogačar with just 500 meters to go. As they turned onto the home straight, van der Poel moved wide to the left, Ganna stayed to the right, and Pogačar lingered slightly behind, waiting to pounce. But van der Poel, anticipating their strategies, launched a long sprint with 350 meters remaining. His explosive acceleration left Ganna trailing and Pogačar too far back to challenge, securing the Dutchman a well-deserved victory.
How It Unfolded
The race began with an eight-rider breakaway forming in the first 20 kilometers. Alessandro Verre (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), Martin Marcellusi (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè), and Tommaso Nencini (Team Solution Tech-Vini Fantini) initiated the move, soon joined by Mathis Le Berre (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), Baptiste Veistroffer (Lotto), Mark Stewart (Team Solution Tech-Vini Fantini), Filippo Turconi (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè), and Kristian Sbaragli (Team Solution Tech). Their lead ballooned to nearly six minutes before the peloton began to reel them in.
By the time the race reached the three capi—the coastal headlands that signal the start of the decisive action—the breakaway’s advantage had shrunk to two-and-a-half minutes. Marcellusi attempted a solo move but was caught on the Cipressa, where UAE Team Emirates took control. Tim Wellens and Jhonatan Narváez set a fierce pace, setting up Pogačar’s attack.
Pogačar’s acceleration on the Cipressa was decisive. Only van der Poel and Ganna could follow, with Grégoire briefly hanging on before fading. The trio crested the climb with a 32-second lead over a chase group of 17 riders. They maintained their collaboration along the coast road, reaching the base of the Poggio with a 45-second advantage.
On the Poggio, Pogačar attacked repeatedly, but van der Poel matched every move. Ganna, though struggling, clawed his way back each time. Van der Poel then launched his own attack 500 meters from the summit, forcing Pogačar to dig deep to stay in contact. The pair descended into San Remo with a slim lead over Ganna, who used his time-trialing prowess to close the gap.
In the final sprint, van der Poel’s tactical brilliance and raw power proved unbeatable. He surged ahead, leaving Ganna and a disappointed Pogačar in his wake, cementing his status as one of cycling’s most versatile champions.
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