The countdown is on for March 22, the day of the Milano-Sanremo presented by Crédit Agricole, now in its 116th edition, and the Sanremo Women presented by Crédit Agricole, which returns to the calendar after a 20-year absence. Today, the start lists for both races have been officially announced.
MILANO-SANREMO PRESENTED BY CRÉDIT AGRICOLE
All eyes are on him—Tadej Pogačar. The Slovenian has repeatedly expressed his desire to win La Classicissima, one of the two Monument Classics missing from his already impressive palmarès. Over the last three years, he has steadily improved, finishing 5th in 2022, 4th in 2023, and reaching the podium for the first time in 2024, when he placed behind Jasper Philipsen and Michael Matthews.
The Belgian Philipsen will wear dorsal number 1, leading an Alpecin-Deceuninck squad that also includes Mathieu Van der Poel, the 2023 Milano-Sanremo champion. Italian hopes rest on Filippo Ganna and Jonathan Milan, both in great form after the Tirreno-Adriatico, with Milan sharing the leadership at Lidl-Trek with Mads Pedersen.
Among the other key contenders are Michael Matthews, Thomas Pidcock, Stefan Küng, Magnus Cort Nielsen, Maxim Van Gils, and Olav Kooij. Several former winners of the race are also set to start, including John Degenkolb (2015), Michał Kwiatkowski (2017), Julian Alaphilippe (2019), Jasper Stuyven (2021), and Matej Mohorič (2022).
SANREMO WOMEN PRESENTED BY CRÉDIT AGRICOLE
The Sanremo Women presented by Crédit Agricole returns to the calendar in spectacular fashion, with some of the world’s top female cyclists set to compete.
Lotte Kopecky will wear dorsal number 1, choosing La Classicissima as her season debut in what promises to be an ambitious 2025 campaign. The two-time world champion will be supported by Lorena Wiebes, already a four-time winner this season, as they take on their rivals—starting with Demi Vollering, former teammate of Kopecky and winner of the Strade Bianche Women Elite.
Among the Dutch riders, Marianne Vos will be another major contender, sharing leadership duties with Pauline Ferrand-Prévot.
For Italy, all eyes are on Elisa Longo Borghini, winner of the UAE Tour Women, and Elisa Balsamo, fresh off a victory at the Trofeo Binda last Sunday.
Also confirmed at the start are Olympic champion Kristen Faulkner, Tour de France Femmes winner Katarzyna Niewiadoma, and U23 World Champion Puck Pieterse.
(news by RCS Press Office, photo credits: La Presse)
