Opponents warned: Tadej Pogacar sets new record time on Cipressa

Tadej Pogacar regularly defies cycling conventions. For example, last year in Milan-San Remo, he launched his attack on the Cipressa climb, but despite an incredibly fast climbing time, the Slovenian couldn't shake off Mathieu van der Poel and Filippo Ganna. That effort must be improved, and Pogacar recently proved in training that he can go even faster.

Although Pogacar didn’t share a Strava upload of his training on Tuesday, March 3, an eagle-eyed cycling fan noticed—thanks to the fact that riders’ efforts on certain Strava segments are saved—that the UAE Emirates XRG rider managed to further sharpen his own record on the Cipressa.

Last year, Pogacar and Van der Poel completed the 5.6-kilometer Cipressa climb (averaging 4.2%) in just 8 minutes and 57 seconds, breaking a 30-year-old record. The previous best time was held by Alexandre Gotchenkov and Gabriele Colombo, who rode the Cipressa in 9 minutes and 17 seconds back in 1996.

Someone pointed out to me that Pogi has a new PR on the Cipressa pic.twitter.com/NL9XJAg4io

— Velofacts (@velofacts) March 4, 2026

It can get even crazier though, because last Tuesday Pogacar shaved another six seconds off his personal best with a time of 8 minutes and 51 seconds. This equates to an impressive average speed of 37.8 kilometers per hour.

Note 
One important caveat: it is unclear whether Pogacar had support from multiple riders or rode in the slipstream of a motorbike during this effort. Recent footage of Pogacar training showed that the Slovenian occasionally trains behind a motorbike. But one thing is for sure: his competitors should be on alert for the 117th edition of Milan-San Remo in just over two weeks’ time.