After Opening Weekend and Strade Bianche brought in the start of the spring Classics season, attention now turns to the first Monument of the year at Milan-San Remo on Saturday.
The famous race, the longest on the calendar, returns for its 115th edition this week, with its route running 288km from a new starting point in Pavia before taking in the usual climbs of the Turchino, three Capi, Cipressa, and the all-important Poggio.
As usual, there’s a wide variety of contenders lining up at the start to take on the six-and-a-half-hour challenge, with GC contenders, puncheurs, sprinters, and time triallists all in with a shout of coming to the finish line on Via Roma ahead of the rest.
168 riders from 24 teams will take the start on Saturday morning, though only one will add their name to an honour roll that includes recent champions such as the absent Wout van Aert, demon descender Matej Mohorič, and reigning champion Mathieu van der Poel.
Read on for our look at the contenders, outsiders, and honourable mentions for the win at Milan-San Remo.
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Well, we have to start off with the 2023 winner, really, don’t we? As he has for the last two seasons, the Dutch superstar has held off his road season debut until a March meeting in Italy, last year taking in Strade Bianche and Tirreno-Adriatico before storming to a 5.5km solo win here.
Last time out he stuck it out at the front of the race up the Poggio as Tadej Pogačar put in a series of blistering attacks before striking out himself over the top. On the way down the other side, he held off an elite chase including Pogačar, Van Aert, and Filippo Ganna, extending his lead on the flat to become the first Dutch winner since 1985.
That’s one way for him to secure the glory this time out, too, though a frighteningly in-form Pogačar will surely push the envelope even further on the way up to try and get free.
Another tactic, of course, is using his powerful sprint – you’d fancy him in a dash for the line against all the but he purest of fast men, and certainly if he’s accompanied to the finish by the men who were chasing him last year.
Van der Poel will enjoy support – and other options – from sprinter Jasper Philipsen and Søren Kragh Andersen. There…
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