Four Fast Fixtures: MSR Week Mishegas

I’m writing something of more substance so this is just a quick post/info blast to get ready for the slate of mini-classics coming at us thick and fast this week, while the Bigs wait around for Milano-Sanremo…

Wednesday: Milano-Torino

What’s It About: A historic event connecting northern Italy’s two capital cities, Milan and Turin, Milano-Torino was founded by the Veloce Club Milano who dared eight of its members to race all the way to Turin, four of whom made it there, led by winner Paolo Magretti. And the club must have concluded that this was a stupid idea, because it took until 1894 until they could convince their members to reprise the event. After that, they continued to waffle over doing this, skipping multiple years, until it started getting serious in 1911 with the win of Henri Pelissier. They skipped one more year, then Costante Girardegno won in 1913, and now the race had an identity. It’s had several more breaks, most recently from 2008-2010, but in 146 years there have been 103 editions, so does that count as a continuous race? Debatable.

Who It Favors: Depends what year this is. For the world’s oldest semi-uninterrupted classic event (first run in 1876), it doesn’t seem to have a set pattern other than starting in Milan and ending somewhere around Turin. Which gives you options. Check out this year’s map:

The race stays mainly in the Po Valley, and can ride the flat terrain all the way to the finish if they want — and many editions have ended in a sprint, including last year’s race won by Mark Cavendish. But you can also swing into some foothills of the Italian Alps as this year’s course very nearly does. Or you can keep to the east and go through the hills of Monferrato, where the Superga is located and has often been used to shake up the race. Just two years ago the race finish, which gets moved around a lot (largely away from the urban center), was used as the finish line in an edition won by Primož Roglič. This year’s edition, however, seems fairly relaxed, with some small climbs in the final hour but the last one occurring 12km from the finish, followed by a gradual descent to the line. So yeah, sprinters.

Did You Know? The…