113. Spring Classic
Milan (dpa) – With the 113th edition of the spring classic Milan-Sanremo, the cycling season really starts. 293 kilometers have to be covered on Saturday to the finish line on the Via Roma.
The big favorite is Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar, who recently presented himself in impressive form. From a German point of view, the hopes of success are low. Ex-winner John Degenkolb has to pass because of the flu and classics specialist Maximilian Schachmann is also unlikely to be in top form after his exit from Paris-Nice last week.
favourites: Tadej Pogacar, who else? The Slovenian Tour de France champion is already in excellent form again. On the Tirreno-Adriatico tour, the exceptional 23-year-old driver didn’t give the competition the slightest chance, just like he did in the Strade Bianche gravel race. Pogacar had also previously won the UAE Tour. His fiercest rival on Saturday is likely to be the all-rounder Wout van Aert, especially as the Belgian forms a strong dual lead with his Slovenian team-mate and Vuelta champion Primoz Roglic. Whether the form of the three-time world champion Peter Sagan is sufficient for a top placement is rather questionable. One can be curious about Mathieu van der Poel. After recovering from a back injury, the Dutchman registered for the race at short notice.
failures: John Degenkolb was the last German to triumph in Sanremo in 2015. With the return to his old racing team, the Thuringian had linked hopes of being able to get involved at the front again. But flu slowed down Degenkolb. Given the wave of colds in cycling, the 33-year-old is not the only prominent failure. The French world champion Julian Alaphilippe, winner of 2019, and the Italian European champion Sonny Colbrelli also have to pass.
German: The small German fraction has no real contenders. Maximilian Schachmann would be most likely to place in the front. But after a positive corona test and his exit from Paris-Nice because he was unwell, the German champions have not really got going this year. Also at the start is Rick Zabel, whose father Erik had triumphed four times in Sanremo. However, Zabel junior is out of the question for a top position.
route: After the start in Milan, the field is allowed to roll up to the Passo del Turchino at kilometer 142.9. It then gets down to business over the last 60 kilometres. In particular, the Cipressa, the penultimate climb, a good 22 kilometers from the finish line, could be used by Pogacar to attack. Otherwise there could be a selection on the Poggio a good six kilometers before the finish.