The first Monument of the season is just around the corner. On Saturday, March 19th, the 113th edition of Milano-Sanremo will take place, featuring a new start location from the iconic track “Vigorelli velodrome”.
Aside from that, the springtime Classicissima follow tradition. The Turchino Pass, skipped last year due to a landslide, will return on the long day’s menu. Then, in the 293km course, the peloton will take on the critical part of the race: the Capi climbs (Capo Mele, Capo Cervo and Capo Berta), the legendary Cipressa (5.6 km with a gradient of 4.1%) and the Poggio with 9 km to go (3.7 km, average gradient less than 4%, maximum 8%), where usually the decisive moves happen, and the traditional finish in Via Roma.

The experienced SD Alberto Volpi will guide Bahrain Victorious Team alongside Franco Pellizotti:
“We will ride Milano-Sanremo with a strong lineup. Maybe we won’t be among the main favourites to win this race on Saturday, but we don’t consider ourselves already defeated.
The Sanremo has always been a race that when you expect something, and instead, another thing will happen. Unpredictable. Some riders in the peloton can change the balance of the race.
We will be there with suitable riders for every outcome. We have Phil Bauhaus in the case of a sprint finish and Damiano Caruso, who is in good shape, as he showed at Tirreno-Adriatico recently. Then we have a bunch of mixed and talented riders as the debutant Jonathan Milan strong helpers like Jasha Sütterlin, Jan Tratnik and Yukiya Arashiro. Last but not least, our road captain Matej Mohorič, with his crystal class and his experience in Milano-Sanremo (5th in 2019, 10th in 2020 and just out of the top ten last year). He will be back to racing after the crash at Strade Bianche that caused him to miss the Tirreno-Adriatico. Therefore he will guide the team throughout the long day on the saddle, but he feels good he will be another option for us in the finale. We’re expecting a fast race due to tailwind, especially on the Ligurian coast”.

At his debut on Milano-Sanremo, Phil Bauhaus says: “To be honest, Milano-Sanremo was not in my plan as the leader of the race was meant to be Sonny Colbrelli. First of all, I want to say I’m sorry for him. That said, I’m happy to debut in this race. It will be something special at the start line for the first time. It’s a big race, especially for a sprinter. It’s more or less the only chance for a sprinter to make a good result or even win a Monument.
I’m looking forward to seeing how far I can come and if I can make it even the first group or If it is too hard or if it’s a race where I can see I can also do a result in the future. I don’t know what to expect. I will try my best for sure”.