The hunt for the memorial can begin! Milan-San Remo is the first major spring classic of this cycling season on Saturday. Who will succeed Matteo van der Poel at La Primavera? In this guide we collect all the information about the route, the list of participants and our reports.
Poggio, always Poggio.
Tadej Pogacar recorded his expected explosion, but the Slovenian did not eliminate all rivals.
Mathieu van der Poel Wout van Aart and surprisingly Filippo Ganna have joined the bandwagon.
The clever Van der Poel pulled Van Aert in behind Pogacar and when Van Aert was at his maximum, the Dutchman drained everyone.
No one had an answer for his cartridge, and after a flawless landing, Van der Poel planted his flag on the road to Rome.
Almost every cycling enthusiast knows the Milan-San Remo route inside out: wait, wait, wait, Capi, Cipressa and Poggio.
However, La Primavera's spring uniform has been slightly modified this year. The peloton will not be launched at 10 am in the heart of Milan or in Abbottigrasso as last year, but in Pavia, about 30 kilometers away.
After detouring, the group returns to the usual route. Anyone who wants to fast forward to the final hour of competition along the Ligurian coast should not miss the Turcino race.
This 288km classic mid-course climb is just a snack, and is followed by harder work on the pennant for the last 55km with Capo Meli, Capo Cervo and Capo Berta respectively.
Via Imperia and San Lorenzo al Mare, Cipressa (5.6 kilometers at 4.1 percent grade) is served more than 25 kilometers from the finish.
The dessert is Pugio, a 3.7-kilometre outcrop at 3.7 percent grade. A fixed camera at the top will measure the damage 5.4 kilometers from the finish.
After a fierce descent, the riders still have 2,200 meters to go to reach the arch on Via Roma. We'll find out the winner there between 4:45pm and 5:15pm.
Of last year's champions, only Wout van Aert is missing from the roll call. He trains at high altitudes.
Defending champion Mathieu van der Poel is hanging on to a jersey number for the first time in 2024, Tadej Pogacar is starting his second day of racing after his display at Strade Bianche and Filippo Ganna is still looking to find his best legs.
Who can claim Van Art's place? His teammate Christophe Laporte? Or will Mads Pedersen and Tom Pidcock join the buffet? Toms Scoggins, Matej Mohoric and Maxim van Gils are also sure to feature in the star rosters.
If we get a sprint for the first time since 2016, we'll be looking at Jasper Philipsen, Jonathan Milan, Olaf Kooig, Michael Matthews, Caleb Ewan and Biniyam Jermay, among others.
Finally, don't forget outsiders like Julian Alaphilippe, Jasper Stuyven, Benoit Cosnefroy, Alberto Bitiol or Corbin Strong.
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