Milano-Sanremo Race Preview: ‘La Primavera’, Milano-Sanremo is this Saturday – Spring has arrived in Europe. Tadej Pogačar and last year’s winner, Mathieu van der Poel are the main ‘protagonisti’ in la Classicissima, but there are a lot of other possibles. Here is the course, the favourites and a bit of Sanremo history.
Seven time winner in Sanremo – Who else but Eddy Merckx
Some Sanremo history
Since 1907, spring starts with Milano-Sanremo. The first edition of ‘La Primavera’ started at 5am in the morning, with only half of the pre-registered riders. The peloton of 33 riders lined up on that icy cold morning on April 14, 1907 for 288 kilometres to Sanremo. Only 14 riders finished. Lucien Petit-Breton, the son of a watchmaker, was the winner, he also won the Tour de France twice. The organisers, La Gazzetto dello Sport, had one champion after another. Before the First World War, winners included Luigi Ganna, who also won the first Giro d’Italia, Gustave Garrigou, Henri Pélissier and Odiel Defraeye, each would win the Tour de France.
The weather can control Milan-Sanremo
Milano-Sanremo can be unpredictable and sometimes the favourite doesn’t win, but there have been many surprises. The weather also takes control of ‘la Primavera’. The 1910 edition was one of legend. Due to a snowstorm, only four riders reached Sanremo, the other 59 starters had taken refuge in houses along the route. Eugène Christophe was one of the finishers. The usually unlucky Frenchman was the first to cross the line. 100 years later, in 2013, the race was again struck by extremely bad weather. Gerard Ciolek was the surprise winner that day, the route had been cut to 246 kilometres by removing the Passo del Turchino and Le Manie, due to the snow and cold conditions. But Ciolek was the winner of one of the most epic Milan-Sanremo’s of all time.
Six Sanremo wins for Costante Girardengo
Costante Girardengo set a record for Milan-Sanremo. Between 1917 and 1928, the first Campionissimo won six out of twelve editions and finished in second or third place five times. But, Girardengo is not the record holder in terms of the number of victories. Eddy Merckx, of course, surpassed the Italian with seven victories. The first of these was in 1966, the last in 1976. There is one rider who has a longer period between his first and last triumph than Merckx, that is Gino Bartali. He was the best in 1939 and 1950. De Vrome also won twice in between, bringing his total number of victories to four. This puts him on the same level as Erik Zabel. The German sprinter could have won Sanremo for a fifth time in 2004, but he made the classic mistake of raised his arms just a little bit too early. Óscar Freire pushed his wheel over the line first. Freire won Milan-San Remo three times for the Rabobank team. Since then the men who crossed the line first has been a ‘name’, no surprises, unless you count the 2016 winner, Arnaud Démare.
Gerard Ciolek – Surprise winner through the snow in 2013
Who will win in 2024?
Last ten winners of Milan-San Remo
2023: Mathieu van der Poel
2022: Matej Mohorič
2021: Jasper Stuyven
2020: Wout van Aert
2019: Julian Alaphilippe
2018: Vincenzo Nibali
2017: Michał Kwiatkowski
2016: Arnaud Démare
2015: John Degenkolb
2014: Alexander Kristoff
2023 Milano-Sanremo
Il Percorso
Last year, for the first time, Milano-Sanremo didn’t start in Milan, but in Abbiategrasso. This year there is a new starting point, Pavia, which is located a bit further south, 36 kilometres from Madrid. In 2023 the riders passed through Pavia after 30 kilometres. The race is not 30 kilometres shorter, there is only a difference of 6 kilometres; 288, compared to last year’s 294 kilometres.
Milano-Sanremo 2024 | The countdown is on
The rest of the route is much the same. The stretch between Pavia and the Passo del Turchino is slightly longer than in the past, but otherwise it’s ‘business as usual’. The riders will cross the Passo del Turchino towards Genoa Voltri and from there they ride westwards along the coast. Via Varazze, Savona and Albenga they reach the Tre Capi: the Capo Mele, the Capo Cervo and the Capo Berta.
2024 Milano-Sanremo map
From the top of that last climb, 38.9 kilometres from the finish, it will be ‘full speed ahead’ to the last two climbs of the day: the Cipressa, which has been part of the route since 1982, and the Poggio di Sanremo, first used in 1961. The Cipressa is just over 5.6 kilometres with a gradient of 4.1%. There are opportunities here for an attack, the summit is more than 20 kilometres from the finish. This is also where the pure sprinters are left behind.
2024 Milano-Sanremo profile
The technical descent from the Cipressa leads back to the SS 1 Aurelia national road. The climb of the Poggio di Sanremo starts 9 kilometres from the finish. The Poggio is 3.7 kilometres long and has an average gradient of 3.7%. Just before the top the ramp increases to 8%. The road is narrow, with four hairpin bends in the first 2 kilometres. The descent (as everyone knows) has many narrow and treacherous bends. The last part of the descent enters the city of Sanremo. The last 2 kilometres are on long, straight roads. At 850 metres from the finish there is a left turn at a roundabout. The last bend to the finishing straight on Via Roma is 750 meters from the finish.
The Sanremo finale
2024 Milano-Sanremo Climbs
149.7km to go – Passo del Turchino
51.6km to go – Capo Mele
46.7km to go – Capo Cervo
38.9km to go – Capo Berta
21.7km to go – Cipressa
5.6km to go – Poggio di Sanremo.
The crazy Cipressa
The Favourites:
Sprinters used to win Milano-Sanremo: Mario Cipollini (2002), Óscar Freire (2004, 2007 and 2010), Alessandro Petacchi (2005), Mark Cavendish (2009), Alexander Kristoff (2014), John Degenkolb (2015) and in 2016 Arnaud Démare won the sprint from a large final group. Now the winner in Sanremo has been solo or from a small group. This year wont be any different and as we have seen in many races recently, the top men are attacking early. The favourites will do anything to get rid of the fast-finishers well before Sanremo.
Van der Poel again in 2024?
Mathieu van der Poel won last year’s Milan-Sanremo in a very dominant manner. He jumped away from the other top men, including Tadej Pogačar, before the top of the Poggio, to start the twisty descent with a small lead. He then soloed to his first victory in ‘La Primavera’. A year later and Mathieu van der Poel is back and wearing the rainbow jersey. The question is; Can he win his first road race back after his cyclo-cross season and break? Van der Poel has been training in Spain, but he hasn’t raced like most of the others in the peloton. After 280 kilometres he might need that race pace in his legs, as he has said in the past, he needs racing to bring him to his best level, Although in 2022 his first race of the season was Milan-Sanremo and he finished third. That winter he also had back pain, which affected his training. If Van der Poel isn’t at 1005 in the final, Alpecin-Deceuninck also has Belgian sprinter Jasper Philipsen, who has said he dreams of winning on the Via Roma. Whether Philipsen can battle with the top men on the Poggio (and the run-up) is debatable. His Danish teammate Søren Kragh Andersen finished 5th last year, but has been struggling with a knee injury.
Pogačar wants to add Sanremo to his palmarès
UAE Team Emirates will have Tadej Pogačar at the start in Pavia. The Slovenian has wanted to win Milan-Sanremo for years, he has often the man who split the race on the Cipressa and the Poggio, but staying away has been too difficult for the Slovenian champion. The 25 year-old rider has not yet found how to win in Sanremo, but it only took him a couple of tries to conquer Flanders. For Pogacar it is important to make the race as hard as possible, to wear down the fast men and drop them. His UAE Team Emirates made the first selection on the Cipressa in previous editions of Milan-Sanremo and will do that again, then it is up to Pogačar to finish the job on the Poggio or on the Cipressa. We saw his solo of 81 kilometres in Strade Bianche, so an attack from the Cipressa is nothing, maybe an attack on the Capo Mele and a solo of over 50 kilometres is not out of the question? But if Pogačar follows the usual plan, he has Alessandro Covi, Marc Hirschi and Diego Ulissi to keep the pace high, then Tim Wellens will be on hand to launch Pogačar towards the win.
Can Christophe Laporte carry on the Visma 2024 domination?
Visma | Lease a Bike will not have Wout van Aert to lead them in Milan-San Remo this year. The 2020 winner will not be there on Saturday. This year, the Belgian is concentrating on De Ronde van Vlaanderen and Paris-Roubaix, followed by his first Giro d’Italia. So, no Strade Bianche and Milan-Sanremo, but an altitude training camp. Visma | Lease a Bike will have Christophe Laporte and Olav Kooij, who can take over leadership without the Belgian. Laporte has the power to stay with the top men on the Cipressa and Poggio and as we saw in Strade Bianche, his form is good at the moment. The European champion was 10th on the ‘White Roads’ with the other climbers. Kooij, on the other hand, has a sprint that can win on the Via Roma, but can he hang on over the Cipressa and the Poggio? Kooij is also in good form and will do everything he can to survive the finale so he can use his sprint.
Mads Pedersen has to be one of the favourites
Riders like Mads Pedersen will also want to use the same tactic of holding on and hoping for a sprint. The former World champion is also strong enough to split the race himself. Last year had to contend with Pogačar and then Van der Poel last year to finish 6th, he has to be one of the favourites.
Michael Matthews – Maybe Jayco AlUla’s best chance
Jayco AlUla will have two sprinters at the start line: Michael Matthews and Caleb Ewan, both riders who have been on the Sanremo podium in the past. Matthews was third in 2015 and 2020, Ewan second in 2018 and 2021. But can they be competitive in 2024. When Matthews is on a good day, he is a crafty rider, but he didn’t finish Paris-Nice, so… Caleb Ewan has had two wins this year, but a stage in the Tour of Oman and the Australian crit champs are not the same as a Monument, he has also had stomach problems recently.
Jonathan Milan looked good in Tirreno
Jonathan Milan could be the surprise in this year’s Milano-Sanremo. The Italian was unbeatable in Tirreno-Adriatico last week and he showed that he was more than a flat-land sprinter and could handle the climbs. But can he be a favourite in a Monument, one that is nearly 300 kilometres long? If by any chance he is at the finish, then everyone else had better beware.
Pidcock to escape on the descent of the Poggio?
Tom Pidcock and Benoît Cosnefroy don’t fall into the climber or sprinter groups, but both will want the peloton thinned down to a minimum for the finale. As we know, Pidcock is one of the best descend in the peloton and can make a difference on the drop from the Poggio into Sanremo. The Frenchman can use his explosiveness to good effect. Both men are in good form.
Everyone will be watching Mohorič
2022 winner, Matej Mohorič will be watched closely, especially when it comes to the descent of the Poggio, but it will be hard to pull off the same surprise twice. All favourites know they can’t give Mohorič any gap. If they let him get away, it would be a brave (or foolhardy) man who would/could follow him.
Outside bet: Matteo Trentin
What about the outsiders: Neilson Powless & Alberto Bettiol (EF Education-EasyPost), Axel Zingle (Cofidis), Maxim Van Gils (Lotto Dstny), Oliver Naesen (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Iván García Cortina & Alex Aranburu (Movistar) and Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers), who was 2nd last year behind Mathieu van der Poel. Also lets not forget Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty), Jasper Stuyven, winner in 2021 (Lidl-Trek), Kasper Asgreen & Julian Alaphilippe, winner in 2019 (Soudal Quick-Step), Søren Wærenskjold & Alexander Kristoff, winner in 2014 (Uno-X Mobility) and Matteo Trentin (Tudor).
Only Pogačar can beat the World champion, or…
There might be changes to the final start-list. You can download the Entry List HERE.
Top Favourites:
No.1: Mathieu van der Poel
Probably: Tadej Pogačar, Mads Pedersen
Possible: Christophe Laporte, Matej Mohorič, Tom Pidcock
Outside: Benoît Cosnefroy, Jasper Philipsen, Olav Kooij, Jonathan Milan
*** Keep it PEZ for the Milano-Sanremo ‘Race Report’ on Saturday and all the news in EUROTRASH Monday. ***
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