Arnaud Démare: I won't say it's not possible to win Milan-San Remo

Giro dItalia 2020 103th Edition 7th stage Matera Brindisi 143km 09102020 Arnaud Demare FRA Groupama FDJ photo Dario BelingheriiBettiniPhoto2020
Arnaud Démare won four stages at the 2020 Giro (Image credit: Bettini Photo)

Anything can happen on the Via Roma, and in 2016 almost everything did. Fernando Gaviria’s crash ruined Peter Sagan’s challenge with 200 metres to go. A slipped chain ended Nacer Bouhanni’s just as he looked poised for victory. Arnaud Démare, previously caught behind a crash on the Cipressa, emerged from the tumult to win Milan-San Remo, the last sprinter to do so.

In the four editions since, the fast men have been unable to last the pace on the Poggio, where the race has been rent asunder by the accelerations of men like Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-QuickStep) and Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma). Together with Strade Bianche winner Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix), they form a troika of favourites who are expected to continue that trend on Saturday.

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Barry Ryan
Head of Features

Barry Ryan is Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.