2011 Milan – San Remo
The 102 wheel classic Milan - Sanremo was held on March 19, 2011. He was part of the UCI World Tour 2011 and within this the fourth race. The total race distance was 298 km, which it was the longest one-day race in the professional field in the 2011 season.
The participants
Eligible were the 18 ProTeam. In addition, the organizer RCS Media Group awarded wildcards to seven Professional Continental teams, including the Italian teams Acqua & Sapone, Androni Giocattoli, Colnago -CSF Inox and Farnese Vini- Neri sottoli. Each team entered with eight riders.
As favorites were before the start of last year's winner Oscar Freire, Alessandro Petacchi, winner of the race in 2005, Mark Cavendish, winner in 2009 and Tyler Farrar and his Garmin - Cervélo team-mate Thor Hushovd and Heinrich Haussler. Also noteworthy than last year's runner Tom Boonen, Allan Davis, second from 2007, Daniele Bennati, Robbie McEwen and Juan José Haedo were considered, should there be a mass sprint. But also seemed possible that professionals such classics specialist Philippe Gilbert, Filippo Pozzato, Fabian Cancellara or Danilo Di Luca, the field could be due to an attack behind. For the German André Greipel it was the first participation in this race. Other promising starters were under German Linus Gerdemann and Fabian Wegmann other.
The route
The traditional route led the peloton this time almost 300 kilometers, making it the longest one-day race of the year. After starting at the cathedral of Milan, the first predominantly flat road for approximately 140 km led by the Po valley to the Mediterranean. Before arriving on the coast had to be subdued with the Passo del Turchino the first and longest at 14 kilometers increase in " Classicissima ". The tunnel passage at the end of the pass has always stood for the transition from winter to spring. The next test for the participants formed the mountain " Manie ", which, however, was also too far from the goal, to provide a decision. There followed three as " Capi " designated small hills, up to the legendary climbs Cipressa ( crossing about 30 kilometers from the finish ) and Poggio di Sanremo (twelve kilometers from the finish ), the decision whether to a bunch sprint or a solo arrival would come. Finally, participants still expected the descent from the Poggio and the finish in Sanremo.
Race course
Even before the start thought of the Japanese national champion Takashi Miyazawa with a national flag to the victims of the currently ongoing disaster in Japan. Miyazawa was also of the breakaway group of the day, initiated some 15 kilometers to the sharp start, in which also the Italian Alessandro De Marchi of Androni Giocattoli, Mikhail Ignatiev of Russia ( Katusha ) and Belgians Nico Sijmens of Cofidis, le Crédit en Ligne drove. The maximum projection of the quartet was over 13 minutes, but the tempo of the field work, the group was obtained after about 200 kilometers at the front of the race. Shortly before that it was, however, come to a race -critical scene: After many falls on the descent of mania has shared the field, were suspended among other world champion Thor Hushovd, the co-favorites Mark Cavendish and Tyler Farrar and last year's winner Oscar Freire, who himself came to case had. At the Cipressa both groups splintered further: From the top field attacked Yaroslav Popovych of Team RadioShack, but was hauled in front of the top of the climb. From the chasing group with Freire sat from Michele Scarponi of Lampre- ISD and graduated to Poggio in a solo journey, the one minutes big gap to the top. At Poggio di Sanremo sat Yoann Offredo and Steve Chainel of FDJ along with Greg Van Avermaet the BMC Racing Team and Stuart O'Grady of Leopard Trek from and worked out a lead of half a minute. Then Van Avermaet attacked and had his Mitausreißer behind. Vincenzo Nibali went Meanwhile, out of the chase group and took the other three outliers Chainel, Offredo O'Grady and gradually a. With small distances, the leading driver went in the descent from the Poggio. Finally Offredo, O'Grady, Scarponi, Alessandro Ballan and Matthew Goss and Nibali, Cancellara, Filippo Pozzato and Gilbert formed a group, the Van Avermaet caught 2.5 km from the finish line again. Once no more drivers could attack critical, sat down in the following Sprint expected the endschnelle Matthew Goss by and celebrated the biggest win of his professional career. The Swiss Fabian Cancellara won for Leopard Trek to second place before the Belgian Philippe Gilbert of the Omega Pharma- Lotto.