Tadej Pogačar appeared as cool, calm and collected as ever on the eve of Milan-San Remo, joking he may attack on the Turchino climb with 150km to go, but also accepting he needs to be better than in 2025 and drop Mathieu van der Poel if he finally wants to win La Classicissima.
After a final training session on the Cipressa and Poggio on Thursday, Pogačar travelled to Milan to join his UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammates.
"I know the road pretty well, but there are still many things to uncover," Pogačar said mysteriously.
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Van der Poel and his Alpecin-Premier Tech team were last on stage at the team presentation in central Pavia as recognition of their victory last year, but Pogačar still got the biggest cheer and was the centre of attention of the Italian tifosi and media.
"I feel good, really good, I can't wait to start Milan-San Remo again. I hope to have a good day," Pogačar said when speaking to the scrum of television cameras and media in the mixed zone.
Only Pogačar knows which tactic he will ultimately choose on Saturday afternoon. He is expected to try another attack on the Cipressa, like in 2025, but could also wait until the Poggio.
He has often joked about when he will attack in races, only to keep his word. He was more guarded about revealing his game plan for Milan-San Remo.
"Maybe.. The Turchino is a nice climb, no?" he joked, or appeared to do so.
"What scenario am I hoping for? Just a winning scenario," he said.
"I hope I drop Van der Poel by having better legs and then continuing to fight. I just need to be better. That's all, and have good luck on my side too.
"Milan-San Remo is a really unpredictable race. It depends on the wind, on the weather - it depends on the legs and how the race goes onto the Cipressa and who is going to be there. With this race, you never know."
Illness and injury have forced UAE Team Emirates-XRG to change their seven-rider team for Milan-San Remo. Tim Wellens and Jhonatan Narváez are out of action, so Florian Vermeersch and the USA's Brandon McNulty are in the roster.
Tirreno-Adriatico winner Isaac del Toro is also expected to play a vital role, potentially serving as Pogačar's last man before attacks on the Cipressa or Poggio.
"We have a great team here. We have Isaac, who is in super good shape, so there's some cards to play," Pogačar said.
"All the team is crucial in Milan-San Remo; if you want to do something on the Cipressa or even the Poggio, you need to have a really strong team around you, to preserve as much energy as possible. Isaac will be important, but the rest of the people will be important, too."
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