Italian national champion Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ) will be one of the main contenders at the first-ever women’s Milan-San Remo, as she looks to take her first victory of 2025 and potentially make history.
As one of the most experienced riders in the professional peloton, Longo Borghini has seen the landscape of the women’s calendar change dramatically over the last decade, and now will finally have the chance to race her home Monument.
"I'm very happy that this year there will also be a Milano-San Remo for us women. It was a Monument Classic that was missing, and it's very important for the entire movement - another sign of how much women's cycling is growing," the 33-year-old said ahead of the race.
"As an Italian and the Italian champion, it will be an honour for me to take part in this race, which has a unique charm. San Remo is something special, part of cycling history, and I think racing it, tackling those legendary roads, will be an incredible experience for all of us."
Wearing the tricolore jersey, all eyes will be on Longo Borghini, but she’s far from just a symbolic favourite at this race. The punchy finish should suit her well, and after struggling with illness at Strade Bianche, she will be motivated to bounce back this weekend.
"I believe it suits my characteristics quite well. But I also think we have other riders in the team who could perform very well on this kind of course," she said, referring to her teammates like Silvia Persico, Eleonora Gasparrini, and the rapidly rising Maëva Squiban.
As it’s the first edition of the women's race, it’s hard to predict how the tactics will play out on Saturday. The men’s race was once hailed as a sprinter’s Classic but has often been won with solo moves and from small groups in recent history.
From the assembled line-ups, it looks like most teams are preparing for a more attacking race, with few rosters really dedicated to sprint efforts.
World champion Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) will make her season debut at the start in Genoa, and is almost guaranteed to try to attack over the Tre Capi, most likely with rivals like Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez), Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) and the Italian champion on her wheel.
Should a bigger group survive to the finish, Trofeo Alfredo Binda champion Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) and Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) will surely be favourites, but Longo Borghini will be looking for a more selective race.
The Italian has reconned the 156km route this week, preparing for an unpredictable race.
"The competition will be strong, and just like in the men's race, the finale could play out in many different ways," she added. "I believe it will be the same for us."
As well as her motivation for the race itself, Longo Borghini underlined how special it would be for the women’s peloton to finally have its own Milan-San Remo, after several years of promises from organisers RCS Sport. s
"We will certainly be honoured to be at the start of this Classic, and together with my teammates, we will give our best to try to win - or at the very least, to be protagonists in the race."
