2021 Milan-San Remo Preview
The first monument of 2021 is here. La Classicissima signals the start of the Spring Classics proper, and is the most prestigious race so far this season. And for the first time ever, it’ll be broadcast from beginning to end. Let’s be honest though: you don’t need to watch the entire 300km. Go for a ride, then grab a couple of Peronis for the final 75km.
It’s a race that favors the sprinters and puncheurs, and to a lesser extent the Classics specialists. Wout van Aert and Julian Alaphilippe have won the two previous editions, and one of them may well repeat their victory this year. With a fantastic starting lineup, however, they’ll have a lot of competition.
Where to Watch
Europe: Eurosport
UK, USA, Europe, Australia: GCN+
France: L’Equipe TV
Belgium: Sporza & RTBF
Italy: Rai Sport
Route
After an altered route last year, allowing the race to maintain distance from coastal towns due to the Covid crisis, RCS has opted for tradition. That means 300km taking the riders along the beautiful Riviera, and final 25km that features the Cipressa and Poggio before a flat finish.
The final 25km looks like this:
Startlist
2021 Milan-San Remo startlist (external site)
Ones to Watch
Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) – The Belgian stands a good chance of defending his 2020 title. He’s on killer form, and looked like he could do everything and/or anything at the Tirreno-Adriatico. Realistically, we’ll be discussing him (and his two rivals below) all the way through the Spring Classics season… they’re just that good.
Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck–Quick-Step) – Julian Alaphilippe is looking great again, though perhaps (perhaps!) half a beat behind van Aert and van der Poel. That he won this race in 2019 and finished second in 2020 gives him a strong advantage though.
Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) – It’s really just a case of which order we write these three names for a while, huh? The Dutch rider probably looks the best of the three right now, and his Strade Bianche win earlier this month proves he still has the form to win a monument after his impressive Ronde van Vlaanderen victory in 2020.
Sam Bennett (Deceuninck-QuickStep) – Hold up. We used to joke that Milan-San Remo is a race in which nothing happens for 300km and then Oscar Freire wins. That winners list has a lot more variety these days, but you don’t have to look back to find the sprinters’ names. And of the sprinters, Bennett is certainly the fastest right now. Questions do remain about whether he can make it over the Cipressa and Poggio, but as far as Plan Bs go, the QuickStep team has a hell of an option.