Milan-San Remo always features a backdrop to match the excitement on the roads. La Primavera stretches nearly 300km from the start in the shadows of Castello Sforzesco in Milan to the finish along the coast on San Remo's iconic Via Rome, which was reintroduced to the race in 2015 after a seven-year absence.
The first edition of Milan-San Remo in 1907 witnessed just 14 finishers, but it was a success and there have been just three years since then that it did not take place.
The legendary Poggio and Cipressa climbs regularly throw the race into chaos, with adventurers putting the pressure on over the Cipressa before a descent and flat run along the sea to the bottom of the Poggio with just under 10km to go. The road twists and turns heads via three hairpins. The early attacks, the softening up moves, usually go here but the real contenders let them go as they wait for the serious attacks on the steeper eight percent section on the ridge of the hill.
The most recent winners have been Gerald Ciolek (MTN-Qhubeka) in 2013, Alexander Kristoff (Team Katusha) in 2014 and John Degenkolb (Giant-Alpecin) last year, but the list of Milan-San Remo champions is rich with the top names in the sport. The gallery above takes a look at the past dozen years of racing at Milan-San Remo and at the champions crowned along the way.
Cyclingnews will have live coverage of the 291km race, which starts in Milan's Piazza del Duomo and finishes on the Via Roma, along with a full race report, results, photos and news.
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