As he did 12 months ago, Tadei Pogachar will be the "man of the hour" in Milan - San Remo.

After his solo victory on the final day, Paris - Nice is clearly the favorite to win on Saturday on Via Roma, but the Slovenian knows that La Primavera is always a complicated race.

Pogachar, fresh off a dominant win in Tirreno-Adriatico last year, used his acceleration repertoire in Poggio to set up four sustained attacks and several more in pursuit.

It was arguably the most aggressive run in Poggio since Moreno Argentin in 1992, but just as he lost to Sean Kelly then, Pogachar had to settle for fifth place behind compatriot Matej Mohoric.

Milan-San Remo is always a complicated race with endless possibilities and end results.

"Unfortunately, when I was a kid, they didn't broadcast Milano-Sanremo in Slovenia, so I don't have many memories of it," Pogachar told Il Messaggero (opens in new tab). 'But now I can say I know it well. It's probably the hardest race to win, but I like it very much."

Pogachar said.

After last year's race, Pogachar confessed that he attacked the Poggio hairpin too early. Based in Monaco, Pogachar will have ample opportunity to scout the hallowed final climb of Milan-San Remo.

"I don't live that far away, and sometimes I go up to Poggio during training. I won't deny that I have imagined different scenarios of how the race might unfold."

The centerpiece of Pogachar's 2023 season will be the Tour de France, where he aims to reclaim the crown from Jonas Vingegaard, but even so, he has made great strides early in the campaign.

Following dominating victories at the Clasica Jaen Paraiso Interior, the Vuelta a Andalucía, and Paris-Nice, he now has his eyes on three more monumental victories. Pogachar has nine wins in 13 days of racing, with more to come.

Following his victory in Milan-San Remo, he finished fourth in the Tour de Flanders, where he and Mathieu Van der Pol battled for the win last year with 60km to go.

"Last year in Flanders was one of the most enjoyable days I have ever had on a bike," said Pogachar, who has expressed a desire to race Paris-Roubaix in the future, though not in 2023.

He will skip this race again this year, finishing his Classics campaign in the Ardennes before resting up and preparing for the Tour de France.

"I would love to experience Paris-Roubaix one day. The World Championships are very prestigious, so it might be difficult to win, but it's definitely a goal for the future," he warned.