Milan – San Remo

The bicycle race Milan - Sanremo, with over 290 kilometers, the longest classic one day races in professional cycling. It is considered one of the five so-called monuments of cycling and was for three years to those introduced in 2005 UCI ProTour, a series of the most important cycling race of the year. Since 2011, the race is part of the follow-up series UCI World Tour.

The most important and most famous classics of Italy took until 2012 every year on a Saturday in late March instead of before was laid with the issue of the year 2013 traffic for the sake of Austragungstag to Sunday. It has got the nickname La Primavera (Spring); sometimes this epithet is read as "primavera corsa ", ie the " first real bike race " of the year. La Classicissima how the race will also respectfully called, was first held in 1907 and was dedicated to the abolition of the ten events comprehensive cycling World Cup the first race of this series. Since the inaugural tournament in the race from the Gazzetta dello Sport is organized.

At the first race on April 14, 1907 attended 33 racers. The winner was the Frenchman Lucien Mazan with an average speed of 26.6 km / h In contrast, the average rate in 2010 was around 43 km / h The participants of the first race got an expense allowance in the amount of five lire.

Route

The route from Milan to Sanremo varies only slightly from year to year. In contrast to Paris -Roubaix which begins 80 kilometers north of Paris in Compiegne, Milan - Sanremo actually begins in Milan, precisely in Piazza Castello. Then the route goes over Binasco, Pavia, Voghera, Tortona, Novi Ligure, Ovada and the Turchino Pass - with 588 meters the highest point of the route - to the Mediterranean coast. This is achieved on the western periphery of Genoa. Spectacular are mainly the following passages, show - following largely the historic Via Aurelia - directly on the Italian Riviera along.

The almost flat over much of the race decided a few years ago at several short climbs near the end of the track. This includes especially the pitch after Cipressa ( about 20 kilometers from the finish at 240 meters altitude ) and the rise to Poggio di Sanremo ( about six kilometers from the finish on 162 meters altitude ). In cycling, we also speak briefly of the Cipressa and Poggio. Furthermore, the Capo Mele (65 m), the Capo Cervo (77 m) and the Capo Berta (130 m).

In recent years, however, this rarely led as " Capi " climbs, known in the selection, so that the decision is now usually held in a mass sprint. This is also reflected in the winners' list, which was last dominated by sprinters like Erik Zabel, Mario Cipollini, Oscar Freire, Alessandro Petacchi, Mark Cavendish and Ciolek.

The record winner

Most victories in the " Classicissima ", the Belgian " Cannibal " Eddy Merckx exhibit. He won in eleven years 1966-1976 a total of seven times. Behind Costante Girardengo ( six wins) and next to Gino Bartali at No. 3 ranking is the eternal Erik Zabel, who won four times from 1997 to 2001 in Sanremo. A detailed overview can be found in the list of winners Milan - Sanremo.

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