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28-02-21

The first Italian classic of the year

The town of Laigueglia and its surroundings, in the Italian region of Liguria, host this prestigious classic belonging to the ProSeries. The race has been held since 1964, and great cyclists in history have it in their trophy rooms: Eddy Merckx (1973, 1974), Roger De Vlaeminck (1980), Lance Armstrong (1993) and Johan Museeuw (1995) have been some of the winners.

Route

The 203-kilometer route involves three medium difficulty climbs before entering the final circuit, which the riders will have to do 4 times. This circuit includes the climbs to Colla Micheri (2 km at 8.2%) and Capo Mele (1.4 km at 5.1%), and presumably in one of these ascents the race will be decided. With such a tough finish, it seems difficult for sprinters to reach it with options, so we have to look for the favorites among climbers and puncheurs.

Favorites

Traditionally, this race has been dominated by Italian riders, who have taken 38 out of 57 editions. Last year Giulio Ciccone (600) took the victory, and this year he returns to defend the title. Accompanying the reigning champion, Trek-Segafredo presents a very strong team that includes Bauke Mollema (600), Gianluca Brambilla (400) and Vincenzo Nibali (800). Other contenders are Egan Bernal (1200), Nairo Quintana (1000), Thibaut Pinot (800), Matej Mohoric (400), Mikel Landa (600), Pello Bilbao (600), Ben O'Connor (400), Michal Kwiatkowski (600) or the winner of the Royal Drôme Classic last weekend, Andrea Bagioli (400). We will have to be vigilant, as there are still many cyclists missing on the start list.