The first day of spring in 2026 will hold a special place in Tadej’s career. On his sixth appearance at Milan–Sanremo, he celebrated his first victory, and the road to it was dramatic. After his teammate Domen Novak, with hard work at the front of the peloton, neutralized the breakaway riders’ advantage, it seemed that UAE Team Emirates – XRG had things under control in this 298-kilometer test. Then, on the streets of Imperia, a good 32 kilometers from the finish, it happened.
There was a mass crash, and Tadej was involved as well. He got up and, despite a torn jersey and visible injuries, quickly got back on the bike, but the peloton was already far ahead of him by then. In the chase, Florian Vermeersch and Felix Grossschartner did an outstanding job, bringing Tadej back to the tail of the peloton at the foot of the climb to the Cipressa.
There, Brandon McNulty and Issac del Toro took over the team relay, carving a path for Tadej to the front of the race and setting the stage for an attack. Only Tom Pidcock (Pinarello Q36.5) and Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin Premier Tech) followed Tadej’s kick, and with them he rode over the top of the Cipressa.
This trio tackled the climb to the Poggio together as well, where Tadej attacked again and shook off van der Poel. Pidcock, however, was strong and skillful enough to stay on Tadej’s wheel both on the climb and on the descent into Sanremo. The winner was decided in a sprint between the two, with the chasers closing in dangerously. Tadej was a bit stronger than the Brit, so he celebrated his first victory on the Via Roma and finally became the cycling king of Sanremo. Third place went to Wout van Aert (Visma Lease a Bike).
»When I crashed, for a moment I thought it was all over. A crash in Imperia right before the most important part of the race isn’t ideal. Luckily I got back on the bike quickly; neither I nor the bike suffered too much damage. Then I saw my teammates Florian and Felix, who gave everything so I could get back to the front. They restored my hope, the legs were still OK. Brandon and Isaac did the rest of the work on the Cipressa. If I hadn’t had a team today, I probably wouldn’t have turned onto that climb, but would have ridden straight to the finish,« Tadej thanked his teammates after his 110th career win.
»When we were taking turns, I was very happy because we all cooperated. There was some headwind; conditions weren’t ideal like they were last year. The middle part of the climb was a bit more demanding. When we got to the Poggio, though, the wind was more favorable this year. So I tried to go full gas. Ideally, I would have ridden alone to the finish, but Tom Pidcock was very strong. Chapeau to Mathieu van der Poel as well, he also rode an exceptional race. Tom and I rode together all the way to the finish, and in the sprint I had some luck,« Tadej added about the cooperation of the trio that shaped the race outcome.
He also revealed that until the finish line he wasn’t sure he would win. »Tom is an exceptionally fast rider, he has a strong kick and looks to be in top form. I was a little afraid because I had to start the sprint from the front. I waited as long as I could, but I also knew I mustn’t wait too long, because Tom probably has a stronger kick than I do. It was very close, and chapeau to him as well.«
For Tadej, it was the 11th win in the Monuments, with which he drew level with Roger De Vlaeminck on the all-time list. Ahead of them is only Eddy Merckx, who collected 19. »La Classicissima« is the fourth of the five Monuments that Tadej has already won. He is missing only a win at Paris–Roubaix, where he finished 2nd last year. This year it will take place on April 12, and before that, on April 5, Tadej will be chasing his third victory at the Tour of Flanders.