Every year, around mid-March, the world’s best Classics hunters gather between Milan and Sanremo for a 300 km race that will propel one of them into cycling history. Altimetrically, as we all known, this race is pretty much as flat as it gets, with a near seven-hour ride from just outside Milan culminating in a build-up of pressure and the iconic final climb of the Poggio before descending to a flat finish in the Ligurian coastal town of Sanremo. Still, Via Roma can be the backdrop of virtually any finale: a packed bunch, a small group, a trio, a duo, or a solitary hero. The route may look easy, but by the riders’ own admission, this is the hardest race to win and being the strongest man is never enough.
Did we say, “the strongest”? Well, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) is definitely the outstanding candidate to win this race: the question is not ‘if he will attack’ but ‘when he will attack’. Last year he was among the main animators of the race on the Poggio, attacking three times but not managing to get rid of his rivals before the top. Let’s not rule out an attempt from further away this year…
Another traditional pick for glory is Wout Van Aert (Jumbo-Visma)? The Belgian started his season at the Tirreno-Adriatico and did so by playing a bit of hide and seek, working hard for teammate Primož Roglič and never showing his true form. Same could be said about another Classics superstar, Mathieu Van Der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), who also hasn’t yet shown top form in 2023. Their two teams will count on an interesting double card though, as the Dutch have Christophe Laporte and the Belgian Jasper Philipsen, both of whom look in great form in this start to the season.
