Overview
- Pogacar dropped defending champion Mathieu van der Poel on the Poggio before holding off Tom Pidcock in a two-up sprint, with Wout van Aert finishing third.
- He crashed at 32 km to go in a pileup that also brought down Van Aert, Matteo Jorgenson and Biniam Girmay, with Van der Poel delayed, then quickly regained the front.
- UAE-XRG set a fierce tempo as Pogacar set a new Cipressa ascent record, launched his move at 24 km remaining, and carried a slender gap into the Poggio.
- An early race mishap saw the day’s break follow race vehicles down a wrong turn and double back, though the main field stayed on course.
- The victory gives Pogacar four of the five Monuments and 11 Monument wins overall, tying Roger de Vlaeminck for second all time, leaving Paris–Roubaix as his remaining target.