The first Monument of the year, Milano-Sanremo, is here. A grueling 289-kilometer test of patience, endurance, and timing. The longest one-day race on the calendar, La Primavera is a slow-burning fuse that ignites in the final 25 kilometers, where only the strongest, smartest, and luckiest survive. 

And one big question looms over the 116th edition: Will Tadej Pogacar finally win it?

He’s thrown everything at this race. All-out attacks on the Poggio. Relentless accelerations. But so far, no victory. Pogacar himself knows how elusive this Monument is.

“Milano-Sanremo is probably the race that will torment me for the longest time,” he admitted in an interview late last year. Even though he's fast, he's not fast enough for a reduced group sprint, where Philipsen, Milan, or Pedersen will always have the upper hand.

Milano-Sanremo is live and on demand for our viewers in Canada on FloBikes.

Tadej Pogacar's Milano-Sanremo Gamble

The Cipressa (5.6 km at 4.1%) sits just over 20 km from the finish. No one has won from an attack there since Gabriele Colombo in 1996. The highway drag between the Cipressa and Poggio has always let the peloton chase back. But if anyone can break that cycle, it’s Pogacar.

This winter, he was spotted testing his limits on the Cipressa, pushing himself in what seemed to be a full-gas rehearsal for March 22. His teammate Tim Wellens even joked, “We got it into our heads to do the Cipressa in under 9 minutes.”

A joke? Maybe. But when Pogacar jokes, the peloton panics.

The 2025 Milano-Sanremo Route: Where the Race is Won

Milano-Sanremo is long, controlled, and cruel. Riders roll along the Ligurian coast for hours before the race explodes in the final 25 kilometers.

• The Cipressa: Where Pogacar may roll the dice.
• The Poggio (3.7km at 3.5%): Not about steepness, but timing. Go too early, and you risk dragging rivals with you. Wait too long, and the sprinters stay in contention.
• The Descent into Sanremo: A white-knuckle plunge at 80 km/h. Matej Mohorič’s dropper-post masterclass won him the race in 2022. Anyone hoping to escape has to risk everything here.

The Favorites For The 2025 Milano-Sanremo

Mathieu van der Poel

The defending world champion and former Milano-Sanremo winner is back. He knows how to win here—solo like in 2023 or setting up his sprinter like he did for Philipsen in 2024. His recent performances at Tirreno-Adriatico show he’s in form.

“I was really on the limit,” Van der Poel admitted after one of Tirreno’s toughest stages. But his limit is better than most riders' best.

Tom Pidcock

Riding like a man possessed in 2025. The Brit lit up Strade Bianche, rode strong in Tirreno-Adriatico, and has the technical skills to thrive on the Poggio and the descent. If he’s there at the front, expect fireworks.

Mads Pedersen

An absolute beast in Paris-Nice, where he took a stage win and the green jersey. He’s a sprinter who can survive the Poggio—a dangerous combination. If the race stays together, he’s one of the fastest men in the bunch.

Jonathan Milan, Jasper Philipsen, Biniam Girmay, and the Fast Finishers

If the sprinters survive, they will be licking their lips. Last year, Philipsen won with help from Van der Poel. Jonathan Milan is in top form, and Olav Kooij, Arnaud De Lie, and Michael Matthews all know how to win long, brutal races.

And then there’s Biniam Girmay. A rider who has already made history at Gent-Wevelgem and in the Giro d’Italia. He has the power to make it over the Poggio and the speed to win on Via Roma.

Wout Van Aert Not Racing 2025 Milano-Sanremo

The 2020 winner is skipping Sanremo to focus on the races that mean the most to him: Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. He wants his name in those history books, and he’s willing to sacrifice everything else for it.

Can Pogacar Finally Escape For Sanremo Glory?

We know he’ll try. But we also know that Milano-Sanremo is unforgiving. If he can’t snap the elastic on the Cipressa or Poggio, his chances of winning in a sprint against Philipsen or Milan are slim.

If he does go long-range and makes it stick? We might witness one of the great rides in Monument history.

This Saturday, La Primavera will deliver another legendary chapter. Will it finally belong to Tadej Pogacar?