Analysis written by Diego Martín (@calebthemartin)

ROUTE ANALYSIS OF MILANO - SANREMO WOMEN 2026

• Time: 10:35 am - 2:15 pm (UTC+1, Madrid)

In 2025, four decades after its last edition, the women’s version of the first Monument of the cycling season returned. The previous race, known as Primavera Rosa, had been held in 2005. Genoa once again hosts the partenza of Milano - Sanremo Women 2026. The distance of the classic also remains at 156 km.

Milano - Sanremo Women 2026 is one of the first road races where some riders may be aiming for their first peak of form of the season.

The two main courses on the Milano - Sanremo Women 2026 menu are very familiar: Cipressa and Poggio. Not knowing them rules out the possibility of friendship. But in every Mediterranean culture gastronomy is paramount, and there are no main courses without antipasti.

So what are the antipasti of Milano - Sanremo Women 2026? The same as in 2025, the first revived women’s edition. Capo Mele, Capo Cervo and Capo Berta are the three climbs that come before the decisive loop.

These three climbs start to whet the appetite and progressively begin to put riders under pressure. Capo Berta is a rise that can significantly contribute to wearing down the bunch. With its 2 km at 6.3% average gradient, some teams may already try to start setting up an attack on the Cipressa, even though there are still 17 km from its summit.

Even if in women’s racing we went many years without them, the Cipressa and the Poggio are two icons of cycling. There’s no need to describe them at length. The Cipressa, which is crested 21.5 km from the finish, has an average gradient of 4.1% over its 5.6 km. Meanwhile, the Poggio starts 9.3 km from the finish and has an average gradient of 3.6% over its 3.7 km.

It is not the severity of the climb, but its narrowness, the bends, and its descent that make the run-in to the start of this ascent one of the key moments of the spring. The top comes 5.5 km from the finish and its descent is vertiginous before tackling the final 2 flat km.

In this race, the ascents of these two climbs matter as much as, or even more than, their descents. After cresting the Cipressa, the riders will face 3.3 km with an average negative gradient of 7.1%. After the Poggio, the 3.2 km descent has an average negative gradient of 4.5%.

THE WEATHER

Mild temperatures of between 11 and 13 degrees are forecast during Milano - Sanremo Women 2026. Rain is not very likely to make an appearance. The wind can be a factor, depending on how it develops. At the time of writing, it is not expected to be excessively strong, but it could become so if its intensity increases. It will blow laterally from the south-southeast throughout the day.

FAVORITES FOR MILANO - SANREMO WOMEN 2026

Preamble: every card in the deck is in play.

Sanremo is one of the high points of the cycling season, as are its two iconic climbs: Cipressa and Poggio. In this second revived women’s edition we once again ask the age-old question: will any of the big favorites dare to attack from far out or from the Cipressa?

The answer ought to be yes. We have seen plenty of aggression in the preceding classics and we also saw it in the 2025 edition. But we shouldn’t think that the attacks will be limited to the climb of the Cipressa. Its descent, as we saw last year, can also be a place to attack.

Milano - Sanremo Women is a race suited to sprinters, puncheurs, some descenders and some GC-style climbers. Everything will depend on how the race unfolds and how various teams and riders decide to race it. And as in other top-level classics, luck is also a factor. It is common for crashes to occur in the run-ins to the climbs or even on them, drastically reducing the chances of success for some contenders.

Speed: Wiebes looking to defend her title

If the race ends in a volata the top favorite is the Dutch rider Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime). This surprises no one. She has the ability to get over the Poggio and also the Cipressa, but her climbing is still an area for improvement. It is her pending subject. She has improved in recent years, but she still hasn’t made a definitive leap. That also plays in her favor and in that of her team. Another big card fits into the team (Lotte Kopecky) without them stepping on each other’s toes. Last year she was able to take advantage of that and of Kopecky’s work. This year it seems a bit more complicated, because SD Worx-Protime still doesn’t really seem to have solved their puzzle and because we also haven’t seen her best version on the climbs in the preceding classics.

The Italian Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) is another of the great sprinters able to handle the efforts on the Cipressa and the Poggio. She arrives with more doubts than last year about her sprint and her peak form. Maybe her peak isn’t planned for this week, or maybe her winter had setbacks. Even so, we must not rule her out. Balsamo is a rider who knows how to seize opportunities. We must not underestimate the former world champion.

The Dutch rider Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) is another contender for victory in Sanremo. Last year Vos debuted in this RCS race. There are few events in which Vos hasn’t raced more than once, and even fewer at this level. Last year she was second. This year she has only raced in Italy and has left good impressions without touching excellence. A team with two cards that are so well balanced or contrasted may be the one that comes away with the spoils.

The New Zealander Ally Wollaston (FDJ United-SUEZ) is probably the other big sprinter we expect to see taking on the challenge of improving her climbing and ability to handle the efforts in this classic. Her start to the season in Australia made us dream that Sanremo might be a target. However, in Europe we have yet to see her confirm her form and improvement. In a team with Vollering as leader she may not get enough support, but if she gets over the Poggio it will be hard for FDJ United-SUEZ not to decide to ride for her.

And of course, if we are considering a volata or a large group finish we must consider other top-tier sprinters (and more than that in some cases) such as Chiara Consonni (CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto), Letizia Paternoster (Liv AlUla Jayco), Eleonora Gasparini (UAE Team ADQ) or Cat Ferguson (Movistar). Among these, Paternoster and Ferguson are probably the ones who have shown the best signs of being able to crest the climbs at the front or being able to get back on.

Le puncheur

Obviously Milano - Sanremo Women 2026 is potentially very fertile ground for puncheurs. A bunch sprint is unlikely, but the prospect of a group finish boosts riders of this profile. One name undoubtedly stands out above all: the Swiss rider Noemi Rüegg (EF Education-Oatly).

Rüegg has reconfirmed herself by again winning the Santos Down Under and repeating a podium at Cadel Evans GOC. She is a rider who aims to win Milano - Sanremo Women 2026. She has the world champion Magdeleine Vallieres alongside her, who can be a decisive help when it comes to getting back on or controlling the finale. Rüegg is a contender for everything in Milano - Sanremo Women 2026.

The German Liane Lippert (Movistar) started the season in sensational form. She was hampered in Omloop by illness. Even so, this is a classic that can suit her qualities to a great extent. In addition, knowing that with Ferguson the team has a card to play in the event of a group finish may mean we see an even more aggressive or attacking version of Lippert.

The Mauritian Kim Le Court De Billot – Pienaar (AG Insurance – Soudal) is another puncheur-type rider to consider for the win. 2025 was her breakthrough season. In this 2026 she did not disappoint in the UAE. With her good turn of speed her chances are beyond doubt. She will also have the inestimable presence, and help, of her teammate Justine Ghekiere.

And even if in 2026 they have not yet shown major signs of their level, we should not rule out other big puncheurs in the peloton. We must consider riders such as the Brit Pfeiffer Georgi (Picnic PostNL), the Aussie Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Liv AlUla Jayco) or the Norwegian Mie Bjørndal Ottestad (Uno-X Mobility).

Il falco di Sanremo

The descent of the Poggio is usually one of the cycling highlights of the spring. Both live and on social media it tends to give us moments and flashes of brilliance in terms of technical skill. Often you don’t actually win by descending, but in this classic it is hard to imagine that no one will try something on the downhill. In 2025 the race wasn’t won on the descent, although Longo Borghini tried. That is why we must also highlight some riders with particular descending skills.

Lidl-Trek apparently has two cards for the downhill: the Dutch riders Shirin van Anrooij and Lucinda Brand. Most likely their chances will be subordinate to Balsamo, but we should not rule them out. Other riders we must also take into account when conditions become a bit adverse are the Hungarian Blanka Vas (SD Worx-Protime) and the French rider Cédrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly).

Vas has shown many times that she is one of the most gifted riders in terms of bike handling. At Alfredo Binda she seemed to have a good turn of pedal, although perhaps not enough to stay with the very best on the Poggio. Kerbaol’s form peak still seems a way off Sanremo, but we should not rule her out either.

The superstars

As for the superstars or great champions, one woman stands above all the rest. The Dutch rider Demi Vollering (FDJ United-SUEZ) has been the best of the season so far. In Valencia she again showed her worth. But in Omloop, where she won ahead of Niewiadoma, she gave the impression that she has started this classics season without setbacks and in an almost optimal state. Although in Strade Bianche she was taken out of the race by a course error, she did not leave a bad impression. FDJ United-SUEZ is one of the strongest teams for this race and we have seen a clear way of racing for a leader. Even so, Juliette Berthet could have some individual chances in the event that a small group crests the Poggio.

The Italian Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ) is another of the best riders so far this year. In Strade she may have paid for her earlier efforts, but in the UAE she was by far the best. There are no doubts about Longo Borghini’s condition, nor about her team. In 2026 UAE Team ADQ have been getting things right and have been tactically exploiting their numerical superiority in some races, such as Binda. With the Pole Dominika Włodarczyk and the Spaniard Mavi García they have two major cards for alternative scenarios. Włodarczyk is a standout endurance rider with a notable turn of speed, while Mavi García has a strong tactical instinct for moving in the race.

Another superstar who arrives reaffirmed is the Pole Kasia Niewiadoma (CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto) after her great Omloop. In Strade she confirmed the good legs shown in Omloop and the UAE. The absence of the American Chloe Dygert is a factor she may feel, although we are seeing her very combative and confident in her chances.

The Dutch rider Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) is not having a bad classics season after the cyclocross worlds. Even so, she still seems far from her best level and that of some favorites. However, we know how competitive Pieterse is. We should not rule her out, even if she does not seem to be at her peak.

And what can we say about former world champion Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx-Protime)? She has not had much luck in the opening classics, in Omloop and Strade. We have not seen her on the attack either, but we must not rule her out. Nor can we rule out that she is not in a good moment of form. But even if she weren’t, we still must not rule her out. Kopecky is immensely gifted. In a bad or terrible year, she still won Flanders. With her ability to throw herself into the Poggio descent or to impose her big final rush in a small group she is a firm favorite. If both are present at the front of the race after the Poggio she will be subordinate to Wiebes. But why not imagine that she might be the only SD Worx rider able to hang on after the Poggio?

Other contenders in Milano - Sanremo Women 2026

But the list of contenders does not end there. There are darker-horse riders and teams we should consider, such as the Italian Monica Trinca Colonel (Liv AlUla Jayco), the Italian Letizia Borghesi (AG Insurance - Soudal), the Canadian Sarah van Dam and the Dutch rider Femke de Vries (Visma-Lease a Bike), the Norwegian Kathrine Aalerud (Uno-X Mobility), or the Dutch riders Nina Buijsman and Thalita de Jong (Human Powered Health).