Milan San Remo, March 21, 2026, 298 km monument

[RobertCrawley]

Should have tried attacking on the descent.

It's not the kind of fall-off-a-mountain descent where Pidders excels. Also, Tadej has improved his descending quite a lot.

 

[kamaveli]

Found it a bit pathetic that the peloton / big group did not close the 30s gap between Cipressa and Poggio. With a bit more teamwork it should have been possible easily. Big chance missed, if you look at the Poggio times, where G2 basically did not loose any time vs Pogacar / Pidcock.

Yep. There's some serious syndrome in peloton and they all are just happy to be there after Pogacar is gone.

It's a shame we didn't see what happened in the main group at Poggio. Judging by the results, everyone was happy to ride in line and chase Pogacar and Pidcock like they were a couple of randos from some conti team.

 

[mikks]

If you say so. Don't know what cycling is like in other countries after all. it's always been big were i'm from.

Can you say the same thing about Lombardy this year? Would you be able to say the same had he won it the previous couple of years? has Strade become more interesting? I understand why MSR is currently more hyped since he never won it. But he has made a habit out of attacking on the hardest part of the race.

From my pov san remo has not become more interesting. Which is what i stated. clearly you feel msr has become more exciting. And i remain curious if what you say is true and numbers have gone up for Lombardy, or down as the years progress and his dominance there becomes more expected. If the populace in general truly find Lombardy more entertaining now Pogacar is not a novelty anymore but an expectation. Did Lombardy in 2025 pull more viewers than Lombardy in 2019? Mind you, this would not change my own viewpoint, enjoyment. Peak strade was amazing, last couple of editions not so much. Flanders was always something i looked forward to. Now I feel i can pencil in pogacar. I do have an increased appreciation for races outside of my own region as the years go by. Traditional media tends to favour the local races.

Edit: AI tells me you are right, more viewers are watching now since the star of Pogacar has risen then before. But with the caveat that there is growing sense of traditional viewers (not new viewers since Pogacar) are tuning out once the solo begins and the finale is not that exciting any more. How much stock i can put on this growing sense mention of AI , i have no idea. 2019 there were 10 million viewers AI says, 2024 almost double that.

In most sports, I would say, big rivalries are the most marketable and draw the largest crowds. While total dominance by one can be boring, it’s still sellable. The worst case scenario is when a different person wins every time, creates the impression that anyone can win and thres nothin special in victory.

Regarding MSR, the anticipation of what Pogačar can do and his rivalry with MVDP has definitely driven interest and made the races more exciting. However, if it turns into another Lombardia, that’s a different story
.
Was a great race btw.

 

[Pozzovivo]

What a race!

I will remember this edition for as long as I can remember cycling races. 9/10 for me.

Historic day.

 

[Salvarani]

What a race!

I will remember this edition for as long as I remember cycling races. 9/10 for me.

Historic day.

What would make it 10, if you could dream?

 

[mikks]

Yep. There's some serious syndrome in peloton and they all are just happy to be there after Pogacar is gone.

It's a shame we didn't see what happened in the main group at Poggio. Judging by the results, everyone was happy to ride in line and chase Pogacar and Pidcock like they were a couple of randos from some conti team.

Half the peloton was likely cooked after the Cipressa and just trying to hang on. Of those remaining, half were probably "semi-cooked," while others were saving their legs for the sprint. This leaves maybe 3 or 4 with bit in the tank to pull, who didn't have other tactical obligations

 

[Red Rick]

Half the peloton was likely cooked after the Cipressa and just trying to hang on. Of those remaining, half were probably "semi-cooked," while others were saving their legs for the sprint. This leaves maybe 3 or 4 with bit in the tank to pull, who didn't have other tactical obligations

They're not gonna be cooked completely because Cipressa has so much drafting. The group did pull back like 20 seconds on the flat section.

The issue is that once the Poggio comes there is nobody left to make the Poggio hard, and nobody who is dropped on the Cipressa is gonna be able to make a decisive attack on the short ramp on top of the Poggio off a middling pace.

Also, Pogacar got the motors in front of his nose as soon as the Poggio started, so there was no shot at any time to try to attack across.

 

[Salvarani]

They're not gonna be cooked completely because Cipressa has so much drafting. The group did pull back like 20 seconds on the flat section.

The issue is that once the Poggio comes there is nobody left to make the Poggio hard, and nobody who is dropped on the Cipressa is gonna be able to make a decisive attack on the short ramp on top of the Poggio off a middling pace.

Also, Pogacar got the motors in front of his nose as soon as the Poggio started, so there was no shot at any time to try to attack across.

The drone also gave him some wings on the descent. Add it to the list.

 

[Pozzovivo]

What would make it 10, if you could dream?

Just one added dimension that would serve as a historical reference. Perhaps, snow storm, cross wind on the coas, final race of Pogacar or MVDP or something.

If I dream, it would be Mirco Maestri surviving from the early break until after the poggio and finding himself sprinting Pogacar and Pidcock for the win.

 

[Salvarani]

Just one added dimension that would serve as a historical reference. Perhaps, snow storm, cross wind on the coas, final race of Pogacar or MVDP or something.

If I dream, it would be Mirco Maestri surviving from the early break until after the poggio and finding himself sprinting Pogacar and Pidcock for the win.

I will be dreaming of a Pietrobon win now.

 

[Lequack]

View: https://youtu.be/jiZoFt_MEk4?si=Zn9r2KwFotftGBo5

 

[mikks]

Also, Pogacar got the motors in front of his nose as soon as the Poggio started, so there was no shot at any time to try to attack across.

I dont know—from the drone and heli shots, they didn't look that close. But maybe when the cameras turned away, the motos quickly dropped back to give them a draft...

Anyway, not denying G2 syndrome, its there, just thinking it is more complicated.

 

[Red Rick]

I dont know—from the drone and heli shots, they didn't look that close. But maybe when the cameras turned away, the motos quickly dropped back to give them a draft...

Anyway, not denying G2 syndrome, its there, just thinking it is more complicated.

It's a 40kph climb, at 10-15 meters it should be a sizeable difference, especially as the motors are much bigger than a rider is.

 

[HashRouge]

Childhood movie, the Hero does the same thing 6 times, learns nothing, and wins by brute force in the end. True inspiration for all

I know you dislike Pogacar, but I feel that isn't really fair. He's dramatically changed the way he approached this race over the past few years. He seems to have spent most of the last off season training for it as well.

 

[Salvarani]

It's a 40kph climb, at 10-15 meters it should be a sizeable difference, especially as the motors are much bigger than a rider is.

This is just guesswork.

 

[nightowl]

I'm mostly surprised no one tried to light it up on Cipressa knowing Pogacar was off the back. The fact McNulty was able to bring him back easily and then do a full lead-out is embarrassing.

 

[AmRacer]

I'm mostly surprised no one tried to light it up on Cipressa knowing Pogacar was off the back. The fact McNulty was able to bring him back easily and then do a full lead-out is embarrassing.

Wout and Visma wasn't there.
Mathieu had just come back to the front.
Pidcock knows he cannot attack alone from there.

 

[Salvarani]

I'm mostly surprised no one tried to light it up on Cipressa knowing Pogacar was off the back. The fact McNulty was able to bring him back easily and then do a full lead-out is embarrassing.

Catch 22 for other teams.

Pull hard to make it more difficult for Pog and maybe burn yourself.
Go slower in favor of your sprinter.

No team really had any interest or was focusing on Pog in the moment. Then he appeared again and the race was on.

 

[Red Rick]

I know you dislike Pogacar, but I feel that isn't really fair. He's dramatically changed the way he approached this race over the past few years. He seems to have spent most of the last off season training for it as well.

When in doubt, go harder. True learning experience.

 

[Salvarani]

When in doubt, go harder. True learning experience.

He has tried multiple different things in this race and won it in a two-man sprint in the end.

How is that "going harder"?

 

[nightowl]

Wout and Visma wasn't there.
Mathieu had just come back to the front.
Pidcock knows he cannot attack alone from there.

All the more reason to smash it imo - most of the favourites are behind, you have to take advantage!
I understand it for teams going 100% for a versatile sprint option like Lidl-Trek for Pedersen, but others should have tried something to maximise their chances.

 

[Danskebjerge]

I know you dislike Pogacar, but I feel that isn't really fair. He's dramatically changed the way he approached this race over the past few years. He seems to have spent most of the last off season training for it as well.

"Approached"? Today he crashed (which ruined his "approach"), he lost his best domestiques, and he still won.

If you like the tactical element of cycling, I agree with those who say that you should either watch the races in which there is no Pogacar or focus on the battle for 2nd and 3rd.

If you don't care about the tactical element, but just "enjoy the dominance while we can", then go and worship your Pog.

 

[nightowl]

Catch 22 for other teams.

Pull hard to make it more difficult for Pog and maybe burn yourself.
Go slower in favor of your sprinter.

No team really had any interest or was focusing on Pog in the moment. Then he appeared again and the race was on.

There is a conundrum there, sure, but as a DS you've surely got to realise that 1) Pogacar is about to make contact with the back of the group so he's not out of the race and 2) that he can take your sprinter out of the equation on the Poggio even if he doesn't attack on Cipressa. Should've been a fairly straightforward decision for the majority of teams imo.

 

[Salvarani]

There is a conundrum there, sure, but as a DS you're surely got to realise that 1) Pogacar is about to make contact with the back of the group so he's not out of the race and 2) that he can take your sprinter out of the equation on the Poggio even if he doesn't attack on Cipressa. Should've been a fairly straightforward decision for the majority of teams imo.

I just dont think any team had the capacity to push it or had any interest in doing that. Thats why it became stale.

 

[Red Rick]

There is a conundrum there, sure, but as a DS you've surely got to realise that 1) Pogacar is about to make contact with the back of the group so he's not out of the race and 2) that he can take your sprinter out of the equation on the Poggio even if he doesn't attack on Cipressa. Should've been a fairly straightforward decision for the majority of teams imo.

Roadblock FC was the obvious decision for all but one team