Milano Sanremo

The race stops at the end of the neutral zone, preparing for the flag drop. 02:16:26 - March 19, 2022. SANREMO ITALY MARCH 19 ...

He nearly crashes due to the risks he is taking but remains upright and has a small gap. I was not going super well but it was enough to hang on with the best over the Poggio and then I just went all in and I can’t believe it!” The breakaway is 3'23" ahead of the main field. Ahead of the Cipressa, a drag race begins in the peloton for positioning. With 50km to race, they are 4'29" ahead of the peloton. The most significant modification was the introduction of the Poggio in '60. It was an idea of Torriani, the historical patron of the Giro d'Italia, to animate the final part of the race. Much of the Bardiani team and a Movistar rider were involved but none of the favourites seem to be affected. The first Capo, the Capo Mele, arrives in 35 kilometres and signals the beginning of the finale. It's a bit of a pity not everyone is here but the field is still strong to have a good race." Milan-Sanremo is often referred to as La Primavera and the first signs of spring are appearing along the route. We need to try and commit 100% on the plan we have and try to execute it 100%." Last year, Tonellli and Tagliano were part of the breakaway that was caught as the race hit the Capi.

The longest one-day race in the professional calendar is a slow-building battle which rewards fans with one of the most thrilling finishes.

Both riders feature for only the second time of their careers, with Roglic making his first appearance since 2017 and his compatriot looking to build on his 12th place in his 2020 debut. The summit is followed by a fast and technical 3.3km descent that winds its way through greenhouses towards San Remo. It’s here whereSean Kelly made the difference in 1992, making up eight seconds on Italy’s Moreno Argentin on his way to the last big win of his illustrious career. As the sun continues to shine on the plains of the Po valley, the eight-man breakaway are approaching the foot of the Passo del Turchino, which will be broadcast in its entirety for the first time. Van Aert – beat him in the sprint, and Pogacar – try to follow him on the climbs. And set against the likes of Alaphilippe, Van Aert, Pogacar, Roglic and even the veteran Valverde, he's unlikely to come out on top. We're still in the saving-energy phase of this race but it will start to get serious once they hit the Ligurian coast and the tre capi climbs come along. When I got the call on Thursday evening, I had to switch on and try to be really focused for the race. Alessandro Tonelli and Samuele Rivi are the only riders from the break yet to be caught and they go over the top of the Cipressa with 40 seconds in the bank, which is nothing. We're still 20km from the first of the three capo climbs and the gap is now 5:35 for the eight leaders. The Trek team of Mads Pedersen have send a couple of riders forward to help out monitoring the progress of this breakaway. They have managed to discard many of the big sprinters ahead of Pogacar's inevitable attack on the Poggio. But will it be steep enough or long enough for the 23-year-old, who has won his previous two Monuments? He'll need to drop the likes of Van Aert and Roglic and Matthews, as well as the sprinters. The Slovenian holds on for the biggest win of his career - and that was a truly magnificent victory.