Milano-Sanremo returns to spring calendar slot with tweak to classic route

Cycling’s longest spring classic is back where it belongs in spring.

Milano-Sanremo returns to the calendar on its traditional date in March, with some tweaks to the course due to landslide damage on the Passo del Turchino.

Officials on Thursday confirmed the route for the 112th edition of the Classicissima di Primavera, with a minor route alteration the will not dramatically change the traditional route’s overall elevation.

Instead, the route will climb the nearby Colle di Giovo. Once the course hits the Mediterranean on the Italian Riviera, it follows the Via Aurelia along the famous tre capi before the historical finish down the Via Roma. The total distance will be 299km. The changes should not disrupt what is one of cycling’s most unpredictable races.

The upshot? Anyone can win.

Officials are hopeful the race, despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, will be contested on its scheduled date on March 20. Last year, the race was postponed until August, with Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) winning ahead of Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) in one of the first major races following cycling’s lockdown.

“The previous edition of the Milano-Sanremo was held on an unusual date and took place over an unprecedented route,” said RCS Sport CEO Paolo Bellino. “This year, for the 112th edition of the race, we have decided to bring the Milano-Sanremo back onto its ‘classic’ route in the Liguria region. So most of the route will remain as it has traditionally been; with the Aurelia, the Tre Capi, Cipressa and Poggio before the arrival on Via Roma, but we will not be able to visit the Turchino for technical reasons.”