Milan-San Remo

Milano-San Remo
Region	North West Italy
Date	Late March
Type	One-day race
First Edition	1907
Editions	96
First Winner	Lucien Petit-Breton
Most Recent	Alessandro Petacchi
Most Wins	Eddy Merckx , 7 times

Milan - San Remo, nicknamed la primavera, is an annual cycling race between Milan and San Remo. Currently it is the longest of all professional one-day cycling races (294 km). The first edition was held in 1907, when the Argentinean Frenchman Lucien Petit-Breton won. Today it is regarded as one of the 'Monuments' of the European professional cycling calendar, and is part of the UCI ProTour.

Milan - San Remo is often called the sprinters classic while its sister Italian race the Giro di Lombardia held in the autumn season is often called the climbers classic.

History

In the early years the main difficulty of the race was the Passo del Turchino, but when cycling became more professional the climb was too far away from the finish-line to be decisive. Therefore in 1960 the Poggio, a climb only a few kilometres before the finish, was introduced in the route. In 1982 the Cipressa, a hill near Imperia was added. The other hills are the so-called 'capi', the Capo Mele, Capo Berta and Capo Cerva. Despite these hills the race most often ends in a mass sprint.

The most successful rider in Milan-San Remo was Eddy Merckx; he won 7 times. The most recent edition (2005) was won by Alessandro Petacchi. In recent times, the most successful rider in the Via Roma of San Remo has been German Erik Zabel who has won it four times in his career and lost the 2004 edition to Óscar Freire because he lifted his arms to celebrate too early. It was the opening race of the UCI World Cup series until the series was replaced by the UCI ProTour in 2005.

Route

Italian sprinter Alessandro Petacchi winning the Milan-San Remo 2005 edition.

Being the longest of all professional one-day cycling races at around 294 km in its 2005 edition, MIlan-San Remo is an unusual test of the riders' endurance due to it being held early in the season. It is won often not by the fastest sprinter, but one who is best prepared in the early season. The hills of Cipressa and Poggio has foiled many fast sprinters who could not stay with the front group. Alessandro Petacchi the 2005 winner had to put in such a concentrated effort to keep his fitness and lose weight in the off-season that racer Erik Dekker could not recognize him during the race.

Despite its flat parcours and long finishing straight, the sprinters teams have been foiled from time-to-time by a determined attack on the last hills towards the finish. Laurent Jalabert and Maurizio Fondriest escaped the peloton in the 1995 edition and stayed away to the finish line. More recently, classics specialist Italian Paolo Bettini attacked with several riders in the finale of the 2003 edition and stayed away. He credited his win to the lesson learned from the previous years' failed attempt, which was won by sprinter extraordinaire Mario Cipollini.

The 2006 edition will see more hills added into the route to make it more challenging for the sprinters teams, much to the chagrin of many previous winners who complained that the addition will change the character of the race, including Bettini himself. He remarked that he will take certain pride in winning the race that was more suited for the sprinters teams.

Winners

2008 Fabian Cancellara 2007 Óscar Freire 2006 Template:FlaficonItaly Filippo Pozzato 2005 Alessandro Petacchi 2004 Oscar Freire 2003 Paolo Bettini 2002 Mario Cipollini 2001 Erik Zabel 2000 Erik Zabel 1999 Andrei Tsjmile 1998 Erik Zabel 1997 Erik Zabel 1996 Gabriele Colombo 1995 Laurent Jalabert 1994 Giorgio Furlan 1993 Maurizio Fondriest 1992 Sean Kelly 1991 Claudio Chiappucci 1990 Gianni Bugno 1989 Laurent Fignon 1988 Laurent Fignon 1987 Erich Mächler 1986 Sean Kelly 1985 Hennie Kuiper 1984 Francesco Moser 1983 Giuseppe Saronni 1982 Marc Gomez 1981 Fons De Wolf 1980 Pierino Gavazzi 1979 Roger de Vlaeminck 1978 Roger de Vlaeminck 1977 Jan Raas 1976 Eddy Merckx 1975 Eddy Merckx 1974 Felice Gimondi

1973 Roger de Vlaeminck 1972 Eddy Merckx 1971 Eddy Merckx 1970 Michele Dancelli 1969 Eddy Merckx 1968 Rudi Altig 1967 Eddy Merckx 1966 Eddy Merckx 1965 Arie den Hartog 1964 Tom Simpson 1963 Joseph Groussard 1962 Emile Daems 1961 Raymond Poulidor 1960 René Privat 1959 Miguel Poblet 1958 Rik Van Looy 1957 Miguel Poblet 1956 Fred De Bruyne 1955 Germain Derijcke 1954 Rik van Steenbergen 1953 Loretto Petrucci 1952 Loretto Petrucci 1951 Louison Bobet 1950 Gino Bartali 1949 Fausto Coppi 1948 Fausto Coppi 1947 Gino Bartali 1946 Fausto Coppi 1945 -- no race 1944 -- no race 1943 Cino Cinelli 1942 Adolfo Leoni 1941 Pierino Favalli 1940 Gino Bartali

1939 Gino Bartali 1938 Giuseppe Olmo 1937 Cesare Del Cancia 1936 Angelo Varetto 1935 Giuseppe Olmo 1934 Joseph Demuysere 1933 Learco Guerra 1932 Alfredo Bovet 1931 Alfredo Binda 1930 Michele Mara 1929 Alfredo Binda 1928 Costante Girardengo 1927 Pietro Chesi 1926 Costante Girardengo 1925 Costante Girardengo 1924 Pietro Linari 1923 Costante Girardengo 1922 Giovanni Brunero 1921 Costante Girardengo 1920 Gaetano Belloni 1919 Angelo Gremo 1918 Costante Girardengo 1917 Gaetano Belloni 1916 -- no race 1915 Ezio Corlaita 1914 Ugo Agostoni 1913 Odile Defraye 1912 Henri Pélissier 1911 Gustave Garrigou 1910 Eugène Christophe 1909 Luigi Gana 1908 Cyrille van Hauwaert 1907 Lucien Petit Breton

External link

• La Gazzetta dello Sport (IT)