'If he'd known what condition the bike was in, he wouldn't have been descending like that' – Tadej Pogačar won Milan-San Remo on a cracked frame with disc brake rub

UAE Team Emirate's Slovenian rider Tadej Pogacar (L), Q36.5 Pro Cycling team's British rider Thomas Pidcock (C) and Alpecin-Deceuninck's Dutch rider Mathieu van der Poel ride down the Cipressa during the 117th Milan - Sanremo one-day classic cycling race, on March 21, 2026. (Photo by Marco BERTORELLO / AFP).

Tadej Pogačar's Milan-San Remo victory was already extraordinary for a number of reasons but it now looks even more so, with information emerging that he rode to victory on a damaged bike.

According to the UAE Team Emirates-XRG mechanic Boštjan Kavčnik, who spoke to Slovenian newspaper Delo, Pogačar didn't just rip his skinsuit in the dramatic crash ahead of the Cipressa, he also cracked his frame.