Smithers MINNEAPOLIS

Milano-San Remo

The 297km (184 miles) race, known to the Italian fans as ‘La Primavera’, starts in the industrial city of Milan, proceeds directly south to the Mediterranean coast city of Voltri, and then follows along the shore to the city of San Remo. With the exception of the Passo del Turchino, a 20km climb that reaches a height of 532 meters above sea level, the race is mostly a parade until the peloton reaches Voltri with 142km left in the race.

It’s at that point that the television broadcast begins and the speed of the race increases dramatically. If the peloton is not already together at this point the increase in speed means that any breakaway riders are soon caught. It then becomes a drag race as the peloton screams along the Mediterranean coastal roads at speeds above 30mph. There are five climbs towards the back end of the race, but only two of these climbs are severe enough to affect the outcome of the race: the Cipressa and then the twisting, hairpin climb of the Poggio where any riders off the front will throw caution to the wind and drop like stones down to the flat run in to the finish along the Via Roma.

Bunch sprints are not uncommon in Milan-San Remo. Historically any individual or group of riders hoping to stay clear of the hard charging peloton will need to have at least 8 seconds gap in front of the peloton at the summit of the Poggio in order to stay clear to the finish. Sometimes even that is not enough. Italian Moreno Argentin was taught this lesson by Irishman Sean Kelly when Kelly used a kamikaze descent of the Poggio to catch Argentin and then beat him at the finish line in the 1992 race.

The 2007 Milan-San Remo takes place tomorrow. I am picking Rabobank rider Oscar Freire for the win.