Milan-San Remo 2025

Milan-San Remo 2025 overview

Milan-San Remo: Long sprint nets Mathieu van der Poel victory in thrilling three-way battle against Filippo Ganna and Tadej Pogačar / As it happened

After 289km of racing, the 116th edition of Milan-San Remo was decided by a three-way battle between Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers), with the Dutchman emerging victorious in the sprint to the line on the Via Roma.

The explosive finale kicked off on the slopes of the Cipressa, as Pogačar’s squad launched the Slovenian’s inevitable attack with 25km to go. Ganna and Van der Poel were the only ones able to follow the searing acceleration as he attacked again. They then worked together to stay away until the foot of the Poggio when Pogačar went again. Although Van der Poel was the only one who could follow, Ganna used his time trial strengths to bridge the gap before the run-in to the line where Van der Pael launched an early sprint at 300-metres to take the victory.

Milan-San Remo information

Milan-San Remo is the first of professional cycling's five monument Classics of the season.

It take place on March 22 in 2025, with the long race route taking the riders from Pavia, just south of Milan to Genoa and the Mediterranean coast, and then west along the coast toward France to end in San Remo.

The race is the longest of the Classics at almost 300km, and one of the few that are accessible for the sprinters. However, the two climbs in the finale - the Cipressa and Poggio - offer places to attack, creating a very balanced but  hard race to win.

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) put in a blistering surge over the summit of the Poggio and powered away for a solo victory in 2023, much like Matej Mohorič did in 2022, Jasper Stuyven in 2021 and Vincenzo Nibali in 2018. The last bunch sprint was won by Arnaud Démare in 2016.

In 2024 Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) won a thrilling race, out-sprinting Michael Matthews and Tadej Pogačar after the attacks on the Cipressa and Poggio were controlled.  

MIlan-San Remo history

The idea of a race between Milan and the Ligurian holiday town of San Remo came about at a time when races were being created across Europe.

The Unione Sportiva Sanremese first created an amateur two-day event in 1906. Gazzetta dello Sport took on the organisation of it the next year for its first official edition as a professional race.

Lucien Petit-Breton won the first edition of the Milan-San Remo in 1907. Luigi Ganna gave Italy its first victory in 1909. After World War I, Costante Girardengo amassed six victories and 11 podium placings from 1917 to 1928.

Other greats to win the race include Alfredo Binda, Gino Bartali, and Fausto Coppi. Tom Simpson was the first British Milan-San Remo winner in 1963 before Eddy Merckx began his era of domination, taking seven titles. Classics greats Roger De Vlaeminck, Sean Kelly, Laurent Jalabert, Andre Tchmil, and Fabian Cancellara as well as top sprinters like Erik Zabel, Oscar Freire, Mario Cipollini, and Mark Cavendish have all made their mark on the race.

The decisive climb of the Poggio was added in 1961 and the Cipressa in 1982, giving the race its current flavour and the perennial battle between the attackers and the sprinters. Other changes to the route have been tried, often suggested but the fascination the current route makes Milan-San Remo "the easiest racer to finish but the hardest race to win."

MIlan-San Remo teams

18 UCI WorldTeams

ALPECIN-DECEUNINCK

ARKEA-B&B HOTELS

BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS

COFIDIS

DECATHLON AG2R LA MONDIALE TEAM

EF EDUCATION - EASYPOST

GROUPAMA-FDJ

INEOS GRENADIERS

INTERMARCHÉ - WANTY

LIDL-TREK

MOVISTAR TEAM

RED BULL - BORA - HANSGROHE

SOUDAL QUICK-STEP

TEAM JAYCO ALULA

TEAM PICNIC POSTNL

TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE

UAE TEAM EMIRATES - XRG

XDS ASTANA TEAM

Three qualified by ranking

ISRAEL - PREMIER TECH

LOTTO

UNO-X MOBILITY

Four Wild Cards

Q36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM

SOLUTION TECH VINI FANTINI

TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM

VF GROUP BARDIANICSF-FAIZANE'

Milan-San Remo records

Poggio climbing record: 5 minutes 40 seconds, Mathieu van der Poel 2023 Milan-San Remo

Most wins: Eddy Merckx - seven (1966, 1967, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1976)

Most recent multi-time winner: Oscar Freire (2004, 2007, 2010)

Most successful nation: Italy with 51 wins, with Belgium a distant second with 22

Bunch sprints vs solos and small groups: The last full bunch sprint was in 2016, won by Arnaud Démare. In the past six editions, three have been settled from small groups, while three have been won by solo riders (Vincenzo Nibali in 2018, Jasper Stuyven in 2021, Matej Mohoric in 2022 and Mathieu van der Poel in 2023).

Youngest winner: Ugo Agostoni, 20, in 1914

Oldest winner: Andrei Tchmil, 36, in 1999

Fastest edition: 45.806 kph in 1990, won by Gianni Bugno