Tadei Pogachar was unable to continue his spring winning streak in Milan-San Remo, but he was proud of his aggressive racing, making this longest race in the sport even more thrilling than usual.

UAE Team Emirates tried to explode the peloton on the Chipressa climb. Pogachar then attacked three times on the Poggio, trying to pull away from Wout Van Art (Jumbo-Visma), Mathieu Van Der Poel (Alpecin Phoenix), and Michael Matthews (Bike Exchange-Jayco).

Pogachar could do little when fellow Slovenian Matej Mohoric (Bahrain-Victorias) dropped his dropper post and dove into the descent. He had recently won the UAE Tour, Strade Bianche, and Tirreno Adriatico, but was sandwiched by Matthews in Milan-San Remo, finishing fifth ahead of Mads Pedersen (Trek Segafredo).

After the race, as the adrenaline faded and the fatigue of riding 300 km began to set in, Pogachar, still smiling, answered questions from Cycling News while sitting on the steps of the UAE Team Emirates bus.

"I'm happy. We rode aggressively. What we were able to do as a team is great for Milan-San Remo in the future," Pogachar said.

Pogachar hinted that he and UAE Emirates would be racing aggressively in Cipressa and then Poggio. His attacks in Poggio nearly broke the rubber and pulled away from his rivals, but each time his rivals pulled away from him.

"My first attack in Poggio was too early and into a headwind," he said.

"I attacked two more times but the others were too good. But I am happy with my performance. In the sprint it wasn't bad, but they were too fast for me."

Although he did not win the race, Milan-San Remo seemed to captivate Pogachar.

"I ran this race for the first time two years ago and thought it wasn't bad. Now it's one of the coolest races out there.

"Finally Milan-San Remo is not a boring race anymore. Before I turned pro I thought it was a boring race. I'm glad I could help make it less boring."

He sportingly congratulated fellow Slovenian Mohoric on his victory and the innovation of the dropper post.

"He told me about the dropper post early in the race and warned me not to follow him down the Poggio. I told him he was crazy, but I admired him for coming up with the idea. He deserved the win," Pogachar said.

"There is definitely a difference in dropper posts. When he passed me on the descent, I knew he was taking a lot of risks. I was in front and he passed me, but he had already lowered his seatpost."

"He drifted on the left hairpin and was a little off the road. It was kind of crazy, so I told myself not to chase him and let the other riders do the work of chasing him."

Pogachal's race weekend continued on Sunday. Instead of carrying a number, he carries a bidon in his hand and supports his partner Urska Zigato (Team Bike Exchange-Jayco). Then he starts thinking about the Tour de Flanders and the Ardennes Classics.

"I'm going to Trofeo Binda to support Urska, who is riding for the BikeExchange team. She's in good shape. She's in good shape and I'm looking forward to it.

"I'm going to take three days off the bike and then start preparing for the Tour of Flanders. I'll enjoy the cobblestones and ride the Ardennes Classics. Then I'll start thinking about the Tour de France."