Opponents warned: Tadej Pogacar already spotted on the Poggio

Tadej Pogacar's list of achievements speaks volumes, but the Slovenian still has a few gaps in his palmarès to fill. One of the most important races is Milan-San Remo. The world champion hopes to triumph this year on the Via Roma, and in the lead-up to La Primavera, he is leaving nothing to chance.

The UAE Emirates XRG leader was spotted last Saturday on the slopes of the decisive breaker in Milan-San Remo: the Poggio. Although Pogacar knows this 3.8-kilometer climb like the back of his hand by now, he clearly wants to refresh his memory a little, almost three months ahead of the 117th edition of Milan-San Remo (March 21).

Pogacar has come close in Milan-San Remo over recent years: fifth (2022), fourth (2023), third (2024), and again third (2025). But winning proves to be so difficult for the world champion. Last year, he already shook things up on the slopes of the Cipressa but ran into a particularly strong Mathieu van der Poel that day.

Tadej Pogačar was seen training on the Poggio climb earlier this year.

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"Looking at the profile, I would rather have the Poggio be five kilometers at ten percent. But it is what it is. For me, it’s a very difficult race to make a difference," Pogacar said last year after a spectacular showdown.

"Those are simply the laws of nature. They apply here. I can't work magic. [...] I might be missing the absolute power, but I kept trying again and again. It’s those few watts missing in peak power."