2021 Tirreno-Adriatico Preview
Long gone are the days when this was a warm cruise for the riders who didn’t want to tackle France’s rain in Paris-Nice. This year’s race takes in 1109km over seven stages, including steep climbs in the Apennines, three long days to be used as preparation for the Milan-San Remo, and a 10km final day time-trial.
This ‘something for everyone’ attitude has resulted in a packed startlist that boasts some of the best riders in the world. Which is nice.
Where to Watch
Europe: Eurosport
UK, USA, Europe, Australia, Canada: GCN+
France: L’Equipe TV
Belgium: Sporza
Italy: Rai Sport
Route
| 1 | Flat | Wed, March 10 | Lido di Camaiore – Lido di Camaiore | 156 km |
| 2 | Hill | Thur, March 11 | Camaiore – Chiusdino | 202 km |
| 3 | Hill | Fri, March 12 | Monticiano – Gualdo Tadino | 219 km |
| 4 | Mountain | Sat, March 13 | Terni – Prati di Tivo | 148 km |
| 5 | Hill | Sun, March 14 | Castellalto – Castelfidardo | 205 km |
| 6 | Flat | Mon, March 15, | Castelraimondo – Lido di Fermo | 169 km |
| 7 | Time-trial | Tues, March 16 | San Benedetto del Tronto – San Benedetto del Tronto | 10.1 km |
Startlist
2021 Tirreno-Adriatico startlist (external site)
Ones to Watch
Simon Yates (BikeExchange) – Defending his 2020 title, Yates will relish some of the climbs along the course. We will go ahead and predict that he doesn’t win the 2021 Race of Two Seas, but he won’t give up his title without a fight.
Tour Winners – It’s a stacked field this year. Tadej Pogacar, Egan Bernal, Geraint Thomas, and Vincenzo Nibali make up four Tour de France winners among the starters, somewhat stealing Paris-Nice’s thunder.
The Three Kings (Copyright Cyclry) – Mathieu van der Poel. Wout van Aert. Julian Alaphilippe. All on the start line. With bigger targets coming up, this seems like it would just be about stretching the legs… but Wout van Aert has indicated that he may attempt to win the entire race. Can his two favorite rivals resist joining the fun?
Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) – Sagan returns for his first race of the season following a period out with Covid. He might not have an easy time of it this year, but he usually steals the limelight, win or lose.