Milan - San Remo 2021: Favourites
foto: Cor VosMilan-San Remo has been named a sprint classic, but the label seems to be outdated. The editions 2017-2020 were all won by attackers. Who are the major contenders to win La Primavera in 2021?
On all four occasion the Poggio was the site of decisive attacks. Van Aert and Alaphilippe did it last year before the Belgian outsprinted the title defender on the Via Roma; two years ago it was Alaphilippe himself who finished it off after a decisive move on the final climb with Sagan, Van Aert, Valverde, Trentin, Naesen and Kwiatkowski on his wheel; in 2018 Nibali opened up a gap just before the top of the Poggio and zoomed down the descent in triumphant style; while Kwiatkowski outsprinted Sagan and Alaphilippe in 2017 after holding off the chasing peloton in the descent of the Poggio.
Skillfull descenders with fast legs, those are the riders to watch at La Primavera. Or the bold and the brave who manage to crest the Poggio solo.
With the likes of Van der Poel, Alaphilippe and Van Aert lined up we are bound to see attacks on the Poggio. This new generation is ripping up the racing copy book by disregarding their power meters in races, which leads to a compelling race. Let’s hope its happens again in La Primavera.
Eight still active riders tasted success in the streets of San Remo: Mark Cavendish (2009), Alexander Kristoff (2014), John Degenkolb (2015), Arnaud Démare (2016), Michal Kwiatkowski (2017), Vincenzo Nibali (2018), Julian Alaphilippe (2019), and Wout Van Aert (2020).
Favourites 2021 Milan – San Remo
***** Mathieu van der Poel, Wout Van Aert, Julian Alaphilippe
**** Michael Matthews, Maximilian Schachmann, Matej Mohoric
*** Peter Sagan, Matteo Trentin, Arnaud Démare, Iván García
** Michal Kwiatkowski, Alexander Kristoff, Giacomo Nizzolo
* Tim Wellens, Sam Bennett, Nacer Bouhanni, Caleb Ewan, Davide Ballerini
Watch the highlights of recent races here:
Related articles Overview - Milan - San Remo 20 Spring Classics are here!More articles Giro 2024: Pogacar cements lead in Queen Stage
Giro 2024 Route stage 15: Manerba del Garda - Mottolino
Giro 2024 Route stage 16: Livigno - Monte Pana
Giro 2024 Favourites stage 16: Attackers over the Cima Coppi
Giro 2024: Withdrawals
Giro 2024: The Route
Giro 2024: Riders
Giro 2024 Route stage 17: Selva di Val Gardena – Passo Brocon
Giro 2024 Favourites stage 17: Double up on the Brocon
Giro 2024 Route stage 18: Fiera di Premiero - Padova
Giro 2024 Favourites stage 18: For fast finishers #6
Giro 2024 Route stage 19: Mortegliano - Sappada
Giro 2024 Favourites stage 19: High mountain breakaway
Giro 2024 Route stage 20: Alpago – Bassano del Grappa
Giro 2024 Favourites stage 20: Last chance for climbers
Giro 2024 Route stage 21: Rome - Rome
Giro 2024 Favourites stage 21: For fast finishers #7
Critérium du Dauphiné 2024: The Route
Critérium du Dauphiné 2024: Riders
Critérium du Dauphiné 2024 Route stage 1: Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule - Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule
Critérium du Dauphiné 2024 Route stage 2: Gannat - Col de la Loge
Cycling Calendar 2024
Tour de France 2024: The Route
Tour de France 2024: Riders
Tour de France 2024 Route stage 1: Florence - Rimini
Tour de France 2024 Route stage 2: Cesenatico - Bologna
Tour de France 2024 Route stage 3: Piacenza - Turin
Vuelta 2024: The Route
Like our Facebook page and stay on top of all pro-race information!