The first women’s Milano-Sanremo
Milano-Sanremo, which this year reaches its 116th edition in the men's category, will be held for the first time under the same name in the women's category after previous attempts such as Primavera Rosa between 1999-2005. Thus, the women's calendar now has its fourth Monument, with only Il Lombardia remaining as the only one of the five still exclusive to men in 2025.
Both the men's and women's races will take place on the same day, Saturday, March 22, making it one of the biggest days of the year.
Routes
The men's Milano-Sanremo is the longest one-day cycling race, covering 289 kilometers from the start in Pavia to the finish in Sanremo. The race includes the Passo del Turchino halfway through, but everything is decided in the last twenty kilometers, especially on the ascents of Cipressa (5.6 km at 4%) and Poggio Di Sanremo (3.6 km at 3.7%), which is crested 5 km from the finish line.
The women's race, on the other hand, will start from Genoa and follow the coastline to Sanremo, covering almost the same route as the last 140 kilometers of the men's race. Cipressa and Poggio are also expected to be decisive.
Women's Race Favorites
With no precedent, it is difficult to predict which type of rider will be best suited for the race, but the world's best cyclists will certainly not want to miss this opportunity. The start list includes almost all the sport's biggest stars: Lotte Kopecky (1200), Demi Vollering (1200), Elisa Longo Borghini (1200), Lorena Wiebes (1200), Katarzyna Niewiadoma (1200), Elisa Balsamo (1000), Marianne Vos (1000), Cecile Uttrup Ludwig (1000), Chloe Dygert (800), Blanka Vas (800), Puck Pieterse (600), and Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (200) are among the main favorites.
Men’s Race Favorites
Will Tadej Pogačar (1200) finally be able to win one of the few races that have eluded him? He will certainly try. Mathieu Van Der Poel (800), Jasper Philipsen (1200), Filippo Ganna (800), Mads Pedersen (1200), Thomas Pidcock (800), Michael Matthews (600), Jonathan Milan (1000), Biniam Girmay (1000), Matej Mohorič (600), Julian Alaphilippe (600), Alberto Bettiol (400), and Michal Kwiatkowski (200) are some of the main alternatives to a Pogačar win.
Photo: © Milano-Sanremo