UAE Team Emirates-XRG’s Pogacar seeks to continue perfect start at Milano-Sanremo

Tadej Pogacar returns to lead UAE Team Emirates-XRG into the first Monument of the 2025 season, fresh off his Strade Bianche heroics. With momentum on their side and a star-studded line-up, the team is determined to kick off the classics campaign in style with a landmark victory in Italy.

Known as La Classicissima di Primavera, Milano-Sanremo is one of the longest and most unpredictable races on the calendar. At 289km, the sheer distance alone makes it a prolonged challenge, but it’s the explosive finale over the Cipressa and Poggio that truly separates the contenders from the rest. It’s a race that offers a rare battleground where sprinters, puncheurs, and attackers all have an opportunity for success.

Pogacar has developed a love-hate relationship with the Milan-San Remo race over the years.

For Pogacar, Milano-Sanremo remains one of the few Monuments to elude him – but is a challenge he truly relishes.

The Slovenian has thrilled fans in recent years with his relentless attacks in pursuit of victory, and in 2025, he lines up once again with a strong squad focused on improving his chances of winning. Tim Wellens arrives in stellar form, while one-day specialist Jhonatan Narvaez brings the firepower to make an impact in the decisive moments.

Pogacar: “I was back on the bike already on the Monday after Strade Bianche and had a couple of easier days. Naturally, I was a bit stiff and sore, but thankfully I’m feeling good again now. We’re coming into a really exciting period of racing and I’m feeling ready for Milano-Sanremo. I know the final of the parcours really well by now and we’ll hope to light up the race on Saturday. Can we win?

“Milan-San Remo is probably the race that will torment me for the longest time,” the three-time Tour de France winner said at the end of last year.

For sure it won’t be easy, but we will give it a good shot.

Standing in UAE Team Emirates-XRG’s way is a formidable lineup, headlined by defending champion Jasper Philipsen and former World Champion Mathieu van der Poel. The Alpecin-Deceuninck duo will be a major threat, with Philipsen looking to repeat his 2024 success and van der Poel adding his world-class classics riding ability to the mix.

Home favorite Jonathan Milan will also be one to watch. The Italian powerhouse has been in flying form, dominating the early part of the season with five stage wins to his name. A victory in Sanremo would be the crowning moment of a dream start to his season.

The 2025 edition of Milano-Sanremo will start in Pavia before heading north toward Milan. The early stages will be steady, but the tempo will rise as the peloton reaches the Passo del Turchino, a key point that keeps the bunch on high alert.

The real battle begins in the final 30km—when the race hits the Cipressa (5.6km at 4.1%) and the Poggio (3.7km at 3.8%), the stage will be set for fireworks. This is where the attackers will try to shake off the sprinters and force the decisive move.

UAE Team Emirates-XRG will be at the heart of the action as they look to split the race and set up Pogacar for a defining victory. With an electric start to the 2025 season already in the books, the Slovenian star will be eager to finally conquer Milano-Sanremo and etch his name even deeper into cycling history.

In previous editions, Pogacar has attacked on the famous Poggio climb, the short but steep ascent that comes shortly before the finish of the nearly 290 kilometer (180 mile) race.

But, although short and steep, the last climb of the race does not have the brutal gradients that Pogacar has traditionally excelled on in his Tour victories, and his rivals have managed to follow his wheel before edging him out on the twisty descent to the finish.

The obvious alternative is to attack up the penultimate climb, on the Cipressa, which comes a bit more than 20 kilometers from the finish.