The route for Sanremo Women Crédit Agricole 2026 has been revealed

The route of the Sanremo Women presented by Crédit Agricole has been unveiled. The second edition organised by RCS Sport will see the world’s best riders battle along the Ligurian coastline on March 21.

Genova has been confirmed as the start host city, while the race will finish on the iconic Via Roma in Sanremo after 156 kilometres.

The decisive finale remains unchanged and mirrors the closing kilometres of the men’s race, with the riders tackling in sequence the Capi, the Cipressa, and the climb of the Poggio di Sanremo, whose summit comes 5.5 km from the finish.

RTL 102.5 will be the official radio partner of the event and will provide extensive on-site coverage with its reporters following the race.

The Route of Sanremo Women presented by Crédit Agricole

The second edition of the Sanremo Women follows the same route used in 2025. The race starts in Genova, heading along the city’s elevated road past the Porto Antico before reaching Sestri Ponente and joining the Aurelia state road. A few kilometres later the course meets the men’s race route in Voltri, from where the riders follow the historic road that has linked Milan and Sanremo for more than 110 years. From there the peloton heads west along the Ligurian coastline on the Aurelia, passing through Varazze, Savona and Albenga before reaching Imperia. At San Lorenzo al Mare, after the traditional sequence of the Capi — Capo Mele, Capo Cervo and Capo Berta — the riders tackle the two decisive climbs introduced in the second half of the 20th century: the Cipressa (added in 1982) and the Poggio di Sanremo (1961). The Cipressa stretches for 5.6 km at 4.1%, before a highly technical descent that leads back onto the SS1 Aurelia.

Final kilometres

At 9 km to go, the climb of the Poggio di Sanremo begins (3.7 km at an average gradient of just under 4%, with ramps of up to 8% before the summit). The climb features a slightly narrowed carriageway and four hairpin bends in the first 2 km.
The descent is very demanding, on fully paved roads that are narrow in places, with a continuous series of hairpins, bends and counter-bends leading back onto the Aurelia state road. The final part of the descent runs through the urban area of Sanremo.

The last 2 km unfold along long, straight city streets. At 850 m from the finish there is a left-hand turn on a roundabout, followed at 750 m by the final corner leading onto the finishing straight on Via Roma, entirely on asphalt.

Quotes

Silvia Salis, Mayor of Genova: “Genova is proud to once again host the start of the Sanremo Women this year, an event that brings together sport, territory and the promotion of top-level women’s cycling. Hosting the start of such a prestigious race means giving international visibility, through sport, to our city and to Liguria, showcasing a major event that passes through extraordinary landscapes and reaches an ever-growing audience. The Sanremo Women also represents an important cultural and sporting message: investing in women’s sport, recognising its value and supporting its growth helps build positive role models for younger generations and encourages wider participation in sport“.

Marco Bucci, President of the Liguria Region, and Simona Ferro, Vice President and Regional Councillor for Sport: “The Sanremo Women returned in 2025, almost twenty years after the previous edition, also thanks to the strong commitment of the regional administration to bring back to the territory a prestigious women’s race capable of standing alongside the historic Milano-Sanremo. This was an important achievement not only from a sporting perspective, but also in terms of equal opportunities, particularly in the year in which Liguria was named European Region of Sport. We are delighted to welcome the 2026 edition, because restarting is important, but confirming success is essential. Liguria deserves to continue hosting sporting events of this level, which give tremendous visibility to the region and are a source of great pride for the entire community”.

Alessandro Mager, Mayor of Sanremo, and Alessandro Sindoni, Councillor for Tourism and Sport of the City of Sanremo: “Sanremo Women is an event of great sporting value for our city, bringing the world’s best riders to our roads and confirming Sanremo as a natural stage for internationally important events. Competitions like this represent a major opportunity for visibility and tourism promotion for our destination, allowing us to showcase the territory, strengthen the city’s attractiveness and offer visitors and fans the chance to discover the beauty of Sanremo. Once again, our city confirms its strong sporting vocation, positioning itself at the heart of international cycling“.

Giusy Virelli, Project Manager of Sanremo Women: “The women’s Classicissima returned to the international cycling calendar last year in a renewed format and delivered great excitement from its very first edition. All the top riders in the women’s peloton battled to earn their place in history, and once again this year the Sanremo Women will be one of the key targets of the season for the sport’s leading protagonists. Large crowds along the roads and significant media coverage make the Sanremo Women a powerful platform for promoting the territory”.

Lorena Wiebes: “I’m looking forward to come back to this race. For me it was amazing last year. Everything fell in pieces for our team and all of the team worked really hard for it. I think it’s a special race especially the final, last year I prepared really good for the last 2 climbs to know how they feel and what to expect. For this year we want again to take the win with the team, but it can be a completely different situation in the race (now everyone raced once on the final climbs) but the motivation will be high and we aim for the win“.

Elisa Longo Borghini: “I’m approaching the Sanremo Women with a lot of determination and motivation because last year left a bit of a bitter taste for me. I won’t hide that this race will be one of my main goals of the season. Compared to last year, I think the race could be more selective because we all know the course better now, especially the finale, and I believe I have the right team to really go for it”.

Marianne Vos: “It’s a race full of charm, and its unpredictability makes it even more special, because the tension builds all the way to the finale for the fans. Last year was a very nice experience, even if Lorena Wiebes was stronger than me in the sprint. This year I hope to improve on that result and try to put my name on the winners’ list”.