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

[ChasingPotatoes]

There are some subtle nuances / differences compared to last year:

There was a headwind between Cipressa and Poggio and a tailwind on the Poggio (the other way around last year), and the 3-man break had Pidcock instead of Ganna.

So last year was a super fast run in to the Poggio, and with the headwind on the Poggio it was more beneficial to sit on the wheel (MvdP following Pog) than this year. So kudos to Pidcock as following Pog on the Poggio was massive, and it is kind of logic that MvdP had a harder time this year to follow Pog.

All of this of course not even taking into account the crash, and the work each rider had to do to come back.

 

[James M]

You mean san remo is saved from now on?

Nah you dont even need to like Pogacar to acknowledge he made this particular race way better than its been in ages in general terms.

Almost half the hype it had recent years and interest disappears if he doesnt show up in general not talking about me and you.

Then its back to half‑pacing the Poggio, and maybe some random rider ends up disappearing due to tactical uselessness if not it turns into a sprint from a group of 20–30

 

[Unchained]

How come no-one knows how to shake hands anymore?

The same reason they can't pronounce the word... Important

 

[Sciatic]

Comments in recent weeks about riders run over in a gravel race with riders angrily concluding that the danger exists because people want video and stills of the race.
It's just a common misunderstanding that motorcycles are always able to go faster than bicycles including in corners which is not always the case.
Someone in an earlier post showed Marco Pantani fantastic highlights and it's clear that he and other riders are drafting off of motorcycles who are 3-4 across.

The larger camera motorcycles used at MSR were BWM 1300's they weigh @650 pounds wet, with bags, gear, driver and camera operator @1100 pounds is likely weight and not nimble around twisted tiny roads.
Lots of other cycling disciplines are using drones.. Likely the future.. In many things.. If they remade iconic film, The Graduate.. Instead of advice investing in plastics, drones would be a for sure growth industry.
Suzuki looks to be trying to get promotion from bike racing, status boards clearly marked.. So when motorcycle tells riders how close the chase is, how far breakaway was up the road big " Suzuki" was all over the place..

Drones are certainly the future in many sports including cycling. But couldn’t they wait to use them until they can provide better quality images/ feeds? Brief drone shots are nice to have for perspective, but until they can provide crystal clear images and also put them in front of riders I would we stick with the traditional camera work.

 

[KoopaCycling]

Nah you dont even need to like Pogacar to acknowledge he made this particular race way better than its been in ages in general terms.

Almost half the hype it had recent years and interest disappears if he doesnt show up in general not talking about me and you.

Then its back to half‑pacing the Poggio, and maybe some random rider ends up disappearing due to tactical uselessness if not it turns into a sprint from a group of 20–30

I already deleted this, but it seems you were fast enough to pick it up. If all went as plan Pogacar would have finished solo. If he comes back next year on the same level, the race is done before it begins. Much more exciting to see more equal level racers fight for victory imo. It generated hype only cause Pogacar had failed to win it. If he had won it last year and then again this year. We would soon be in a similar situation that strade, Flanders and Lombardi are in. At least that's what i believe. If Pogacar continues to ride Lombardi, i will only get more curious about the viewership numbers.

 

[Pantani_lives]

What's more impressive: winning with an 80 km solo or winning by half a wheel? The latter is certainly more exciting. This time they can't complain that it was boring, although we end up with the same winner.

For Pogacar this was a lifetime goal: winning the race that seemed impossible to win. It took him six attempts. It was like a TV show in six episodes: the sixth time he finally does it. Today was like a sports film, where a lot goes wrong, but the hero wins at the very end. He'll probably never come back. This was a race that he wanted to win just once. Now he can tick the box. He has left his handprint on these past editions. Even when he didn't win, he completely changed the character of this race. And that's an achievement.

Pidcock would have been a nice winner too. Hopefully he can come back in the future to finally win a monument. It's good to see Van Aert and Pedersen in shape soon enough, so they will be ready for the cobbled classics.

 

[KoopaCycling]

Drones are certainly the future in many sports including cycling. But couldn’t they wait to use them until they can provide better quality images/ feeds? Brief drone shots are nice to have for perspective, but until they can provide crystal clear images and also put them in front of riders I would we stick with the traditional camera work.

Would have rather seen a helicopter shot. Maybe drones are the future once they are more quite. Now they seem more hassle than they are worth. at least for me. Their noise is just annoying.

 

[TrekCyclist]

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.

 

[Red Rick]

What's more impressive: winning with an 80 km solo or winning by half a wheel? The latter is certainly more exciting. This time they can't complain that it was boring, although we end up with the same winner.

For Pogacar this was a lifetime goal: winning the race that seemed impossible to win. It took him six attempts. It was like a TV show in six episodes: the sixth time he finally does it. Today was like a sports film, where a lot goes wrong, but the hero wins at the very end. He'll probably never come back. This was a race that he wanted to win just once. Now he can tick the box. He has left his handprint on these past editions. Even when he didn't win, he completely changed the character of this race. And that's an achievement.

Pidcock would have been a nice winner too. Hopefully he can come back in the future to finally win a monument. It's good to see Van Aert and Pedersen in shape soon enough, so they will be ready for the cobbled classics.

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

 

[Oldman]

Drones are certainly the future in many sports including cycling. But couldn’t they wait to use them until they can provide better quality images/ feeds? Brief drone shots are nice to have for perspective, but until they can provide crystal clear images and also put them in front of riders I would we stick with the traditional camera work.

I'm a fan of the drones to minimize race interference. They can get high quality shots in front but they will need to fly higher and have really good pilots to anticipate pack movement. Seems much easier to follow.

As for Tadej's impact: non-fans and fans both should recognize that he hadn't won before even with great form. The racers definitely can impact the outcome but you gotta give these guys huge credit for riding, crashing and still having a winning mindset after 6 hrs.

 

[James M]

We would soon be in a similar situation that strade, Flanders and Lombardi are in. At least that's what i believe. If Pogacar continues to ride Lombardi, i will only get more curious about the viewership numbers.

In general hes hyped MSR up cause hes completely changed the character of this race and what it has become with him more than anything else

Save urself the trouble tho I can understand where you coming from. There has never been more money pouring into the sport thats the clearest measurement you need and only. Pay‑per‑view for many races exists because interest is sky‑high. Unless you think sponsors like Lidl and Red Bull are doing charity, decathlon, sky with more enourmour jump in budget: the demand is massive.

its a goose chase looking for something you want to be true and hope where there is none

 

[Oldman]

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.

Short highlight that was available saw the entire group sitting on MvP out of fear. He slowed and moved to the outside which likely cost chasers 6+ seconds. 75% of that group were happy to be there and 25% hoping to slot into a winning draft.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

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

How about the tactical crash? 3D chess by Teddy, who took cycling tactics to the next level. It's not just about the muscles anymore, also about the brain.

 

[Unchained]

Drones are certainly the future in many sports including cycling. But couldn’t they wait to use them until they can provide better quality images/ feeds? Brief drone shots are nice to have for perspective, but until they can provide crystal clear images and also put them in front of riders I would we stick with the traditional camera work.

They have been able to provide images with pixel density to know if Wout and Pidcock shaved this morning. The price for a commercial drone has fallen by @75% in last few years. For less than @$20,000 usd to can buy a drone that can tell you from many hundred feet above if a baby has a pacifier in their mouth and what color it is..

 

[KZD]

What a legendary race this Milan Sanremo was.

Pogačar has many wins but this MSR was surely one of the most epic. The way he crashed and then came back on the Cipressa before launching and taking the race in the final sprint was simply extraordinary even for his already insane standards (his teammates especially McNulty also deserve a lot of praise). Now that Pogačar finally won it will be interesting if he keeps coming back.

Absolutely superb race from Tom Pidcock, for me at least on the road it was his best performance ever and bodes really well for the future. I can definitely him winning Sanremo in the coming years.

Great recovery from Van Aert to take third, he had some superb legs today which bodes well for the cobbled monuments that he so deeply wants to win.

Nice results for a couple of Italian riders like Vendrame or Zambanini and good to see Pedersen back in good shape.

Alpecin the big loser of today but Van der Poel still fought valiently, hopefully he has no injuries ahead of the couple classics.

 

[KoopaCycling]

In general hes hyped MSR up cause hes completely changed the character of this race and what it has become with him more than anything else

Save urself the trouble tho I can understand where you coming from. There has never been more money pouring into the sport thats the clearest measurement you need and only. Pay‑per‑view for many races exists because interest is sky‑high. Unless you think sponsors like Lidl and Red Bull are doing charity, decathlon, sky with more enourmour jump in budget: the demand is massive.

its a goose chase looking for something you want to be true and hope where there is none

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.

 

[Unchained]

Drones are certainly the future in many sports including cycling. But couldn’t they wait to use them until they can provide better quality images/ feeds? Brief drone shots are nice to have for perspective, but until they can provide crystal clear images and also put them in front of riders I would we stick with the traditional camera work.

And on balance, the obvious impact of a helicopter crash is far greater than any commercial drone. Upsides are way too many to list, just the number of motorcycles and vehicles that would be eliminated from race courses would outweigh anything that @30-40 years behind UCI would argue. It would be a budget and safety no brainer for UCI. Budget that has often multiple helicopters, camera crew, pilot, insurance, aviation fuel, obvious increase in risk and lack of flexibility are self evident. Many sports are using them currently.. It's absolutely amazing the cost to performance ratio that you can buy off the shelf. Many @$1-3000 dollar drones you could get off Amazon could ultimately save millions and increase public and rider safety.. If that's something UCI is thinking about..
A quality, capable motorcycle is @$20-30,000 plus equipment, crew, insurance, maintenance, fuel, limitations and logistics... UCI is still thinking about it, first things first, they are debating getting a microwave for the office..

 

[KoopaCycling]

And on balance, the obvious impact of a helicopter crash is far greater than any commercial drone. Upsides are way too many to list, just the number of motorcycles and vehicles that would be eliminated from race courses would outweigh anything that @30-40 years behind UCI would argue. It would be a budget and safety no brainer for UCI. Budget that has often multiple helicopters, camera crew, pilot, insurance, aviation fuel, obvious increase in risk and lack of flexibility are self evident. Many sports are using them currently.. It's absolutely amazing the cost to performance ratio that you can buy off the shelf. Many @$1-3000 dollar drones you could get off Amazon could ultimately save millions and increase public and rider safety.. If that's something UCI is thinking about..
A quality, capable motorcycle is @$20-30,000 plus equipment, crew, insurance, maintenance, fuel, limitations and logistics... UCI is still thinking about it, first things first, they are debating getting a microwave for the office..

But how would the riders know where to go without motorcycles. Will they paint a drone red and have them follow that?

 

[noob]

They have been able to provide images with pixel density to know if Wout and Pidcock shaved this morning. The price for a commercial drone has fallen by @75% in last few years. For less than @$20,000 usd to can buy a drone that can tell you from many hundred feet above if a baby has a pacifier in their mouth and what color it is..

the baby or the pacifer?

 

[Unchained]

How about the tactical crash? 3D chess by Teddy, who took cycling tactics to the next level. It's not just about the muscles anymore, also about the brain.

How far is Pogacar going to push the... Cats have mini lives thing? Hard crashing at previous Strada, TDF, couple of others, I have not counted up how many of the 9 lives he still has left, but his ability to beef it and get up, race away without serious injury is not sustainable. I really hope that him falling off his bike is not some form of motivation or " tactics ". Nobody can be this lucky for years. Maybe if Pogacar really can crash at will, on purpose as a tactic, he can do stuntman stuff in Hollywood for a handsome payday.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

How far is Pogacar going to push the... Cats have mini lives thing? Hard crashing at previous Strada, TDF, couple of others, I have not counted up how many of the 9 lives he still has left, but his ability to beef it and get up, race away without serious injury is not sustainable. I really hope that him falling off his bike is not some form of motivation or " tactics ". Nobody can be this lucky for years. Maybe if Pogacar really can crash at will, on purpose as a tactic, he can do stuntman stuff in Hollywood for a handsome payday.

He had a nasty crash in Liege 2023, not his fault then.

 

[Unchained]

the baby or the pacifer?

I could have used belly button ring or tattoo on sun bathers but that would have been perverse.. I see no reason not to experiment with drones instead of motorcycles as a start, doesn't seem like a big commitment, minus camera motorcycles and replace them with 2 drones, 2 operators in existing support vehicles.. I don't want to get too ahead, after all the UCI is still working on sock length and ten tooth cog pressing issues. what constitutes an aero helmet, you know important stuff.

 

[James M]

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.

Its fine to like different things no big deal. Lombardia, Strade, the Tour, all of that is a foregone conclusion without misshaps im not arguing against that. Your preferences are just as valid as mine btw no right or wrong answer its fine. Personally i appreciate greatness and close battles. I enjoy both.

But MSR which the original post was about differenciate from those races imo because he changed the entire character of the race, and he wasnt even the favorite thats why i disagree on that race that was all.

As for the last point, just follow the money. It tells the whole story. Its not hard to see on TV crowds on strade this year ath either etc etc. A forum of 100 ish people with different favorite riders and what that entitles definitely isnt the measurement stick. The money and sponsors is and their telling the entire story. The interest is massive.

 

[RobertCrawley]

Hard to draw really any other conclusion. Either half the peloton was on a bad day, or the sport as competition is over.

Nyet. Let's enjoy a great champion while we can. All careers come to a close.

 

[Unchained]

He had a nasty crash in Liege 2023, not his fault then.

I don't really normally consider the fault in crashing as that significant..
Just don't do it no matter who is at fault.
Wout had his machine miracle machine moment, took a tumble and on the spot crew got him a new bike, short chase and a podium.. Impressive and lucky at the same time..
I think Van Aert is working on second cats worth of nine lives, he doesn't have great luck. I think Wout's surgeon watches races with RV and Porsche dealer on speed dial just in case..