Milano-Sanremo: Who Ya Got?

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Just back home from a family ski holiday and wow! Look at all those urgent work emails! Sigh…

This leaves me a bit at a loss as to what to say in advance of Milano-Sanremo, which doesn’t change much and which is the playground of… whoever really wants it. Numerous past previews here talked about how the variety of potential winners is what makes it so unique, although you could also shrug that off and just put together a list of ace descenders who can sprint. Would a Pidcock win be even slightly out of place here? No, it would not.

Photo by Alex Broadway/Getty Images

Nobody wants this more than Mads Pedersen, the former World Champion who probably rates as the best active classics rider never to win a Monument. Given Mathieu van der Poel’s slow start to his race season, MSR is probably Pedersen’s path of least resistance, and it won’t hurt if his team can keep Jonathan Milan near the front in pursuit of a sprint scenario. Oh, and speaking of sprint scenarios, did you see Alexander Kristoff on Milan’s wheel earlier this week? In his UNO-X kit and large frame, how could you miss him. Don’t miss the warnings either. After that… Ganna? Bettiol? A home win? Always pleasant. Laporte? Mohorič? You know all the names.

But here’s the real question: WHERE IS YOUR FSA-DS TEAM??

If you haven’t been using this app to track your riders’ participation, you need to start now. The calendar is hitting the big time, races are everywhere in Italy and Belgium and beyond. The app will find your men’s and women’s riders instantly, within the limitations of what the current startlists say. If you don’t see your guy/gal listed, blame the teams for being cagey.

Please don’t mistake my brevity today for anything more than logistical. And practical — how many times have I described the race in a technical manner? Who doesn’t already know about the Poggio? Sure, the Capi and Cipressa, the preceding climbs, will see some action, possibly a lot of action, if some enterprising team is able to finally crack the MSR strategic nut of the Poggio always deciding things. It is one million percent worth watching! It’s just a lot less worth talking about in advance, until the riders hit the coastline.

Photo by Tim de Waele/Getty Images

Tomorrow, the weather in Liguria looks to be dry and moderately warm, just creeping into the 60s F. I guess that’s a bit on the cold side, which itself is good news, not only for them but we don’t need to start the cycle of unusually warm weather right now. Let spring be spring! Let our own rides maybe feature one less layer, perhaps even less-than-full-fingered gloves, but let’s not go too crazy just yet. Seattle will be a few degrees warmer than Sanremo tomorrow, though we will be more grateful for a break than tricked into thinking it will last (it won’t). I personally could use some spring. I could use some greens and other colors, some early signs of growth in my garden apart from the overwintering garlic shoots. I’m digging the longer days already, and the clock change alone from last weekend means I can ride outdoors after work. But I don’t want signs of summer. They should wait.

OK, who ya got?

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