Pro cycle racing looks set to return, as Milano-Sanremo by Vittoria is scheduled to kick-off on 8 August, albeit with a route change.
Sponsored this year by Vittoria, the ‘Classicissima’ will be 299km long. After leaving Milan it will head towards Lomellina and Alessandria then takes in the Monferrato, the Langhe and passes the Colle di Nava (70km to the finish line in Sanremo). Riders descend the Aurelia to face a final 36km including the Cipressa and the Poggio.
After 110 years the Milano-Sanremo by Vittoria has a route change. It meets the sea only in Imperia after crossing the Po Valley and the Apennines further west than usual. After leaving Milan, it crosses the Lomellina on flat, wide and straight roads.
After Alessandria, the race crosses the Monferrato and then passes through the Langhe before facing the first long challenge of the day, the ascent of Niella Belbo. The race organising team at RCS Sport note that, here the slopes are gentle, but there are, especially in the initial part of the climb, steep sections and the ascent is almost 20km long (average gradient of 3%).
After Ceva there is a long and steady ascent to Colle di Nava (3.9km and a gradient of 3% in the final part of the climb), followed by the fast descent on Pieve di Teco, then on to reach Imperia. The ascent and descent are both on wide roads while the crossings at Langhe and Monferrato have narrow sections.
In Imperia the race returns to the classic route to tackle the Cipressa (first climbed in 1982) from San Lorenzo al Mare and shortly afterwards, the Poggio di Sanremo (first climbed in 1961).
Following the Cipressa (5.6km with an average gradient of 4.1%), there is a very fast and challenging descent, which takes riders back to the SS 1 Aurelia road. At 9km from the finish, the ascent of Poggio di Sanremo begins (3.7km long with an average gradient of less than 4% and a maximum of 8% in the segment shortly before the crest of the climb).
The Poggio road is slightly narrower, with four hairpin turns in the first 2km. RCS points out that, here, the descent is extremely technical, on asphalt roads, narrow at points and with a succession of hairpins, twists and turns as far as the junctions with the SS 1 Aurelia.
The final part of the descent enters urban Sanremo. The last bend, leading into the home straight, is 750m from the finish line.
