Race Preview: Milan San Remo
By Chris Brewer
It’s time to kick off what many feel is the official start of the Classics season, “La Primavera” – Milan – San Remo… known not only for its beautiful route, MSR is also one of the oldest races (this is the 101st edition) and is the longest at an astonishing 298km / 185mi! We’re talking seven hours saddle time at race pace…
Before we get into the race itself and the contenders, one notable rider who won’t be on the line is The Shack’s Lance Armstrong, suffering from “acute gastroenteritis.” "It would have been good to have Lance in the line-up for the start but we prefer not to take any risk," said Johan Bruyneel. "It would not be very intelligent to let him start in a race of almost 300K, while not being healthy."
That noted, who are the likely winners? From Team RadioShack I would expect Sébastien Rosseler to be the main man and would look to play a spoiler role ala his victory in the 4th stage of the Tour of Algarve. MSR was never really a race for the pure climbers, but more for riders who can go really hard on shorter efforts and then still have some power in the tank for the final sprint. However in recent years the pure sprinters have found that if they can handle the suffering the rolleurs put out, they have a good chance for a win as well. A quick look back at some previous winners bears this out: Cavendish, Cancellara, Freire, Pozzato, and Petacchi.
Looking at the other contenders, the big three names would have to be Tom Boonen (Quick Step), Mark Cavendish (HTC-Columbia), and Filippo Pozzato (Team Katusha). All are proven winners here, Boonen on the comeback trail, Cavendish looking to show last year was not a fluke, and the course and style fit Pozzato like an Italian glove. I would add in Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre-Farnese Vini) and Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Sky) as well, and you can never forget Thor Hushovd (Cervelo Test Team) if he’s there in the bunch sprint.
Weather could be a small factor with temps topping out at around 14C / 57F but rain is unlikely. The race’s length is one of the deciding factors as it simply wears you out on the long trek south, so eating and drinking properly is huge. Back in the day MSR was a really boring race to watch for much of it as the rider essentially rode piano for the bulk of the race, then kicked it in the final kms for the sprint. But as time and more international rider presence went up, so did the pace of racing. Last year’s edition averaged 44.4kmh / 27.6mph for 6hr 42min!
It’s a guaranteed escape and capture scenario, with the real racing beginning with about 50km to go on the climbs leading in. The first major attack is on the Cipressa followed by the critical Poggio. These two efforts will make the selection and from there the winner will come forth. After the Poggio there’s nothing but a 3km descent to the line and a short flat run to the finish. It’s a beautiful race and one that’s very important for anyone wanting their place in Classics’ history. It’s safe to say the 2010 season is now full gas, and won’t be stopping any time soon!
The race will be rebroadcast on Universal Sports Network at 3 pm ET on Saturday, 3/20. Click here for info.
advertisement
GET EMAIL UPDATES
Receive emails packed with the latest news, video and exclusive photos covering Team RadioShack.
TEAM RADIOSHACK'S TWITTER UPDATES
Giro d'Italia, Stage 21 - Race Report: "Sergent
finds motivation in time trial" http://t.co/enusGWxx #RSNT
#giro
'Unser Schönsten' - @f_cancellara at the start
podium this morning. #BayernRundfahrt http://t.co/5rO4geOb
Hearty congrats to @jessesergent for making the
podium for 3rd place in the final TT. Way to
impress in your first grand tour! #RSNT
Bayern Rundfahrt, Stage 5 - Race Report: "Gallopin
celebrates with best young rider jersey" http://t.co/mb8JFzPG #RSNT
Geraint Thomas beats Jesse's time by 14 seconds.
#giro
