Video: Cavendish likens Milan San Remo to Italian opera

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Sky Procycling  teammates Mark Cavendish and Bernhard Eisel talked about Milan-San Remo two days before the race, with the world champion comparing the drama and pace of the Monument to an opera.

"Milan-San Remo is the perfect example of an Italian race. It is kind of like an opera," said Cavendish. "There is a beginning, a middle and an end. The beginning gets you into it and gets you into a rhythm and then it builds up toward the end."

"You have to think all the time - you have to conserve energy as much as possible."

As racers approach the decisive Cipressa climb, riding in the peloton can get a bit sketchy.  "People want to race up the climb to be first to the top so you can be at the front for the descent," said Eisel. "As we've seen the past few years, no one really gets away on the climb anymore. If you are too far back, it's a really fast and dangerous downhill."

"You just have to hope no one crashes in front of you," said Cavendish, who added that the real racing starts when the peloton hits the coast.

"The corners all look the same and sometimes you know where you are and what's coming up next, sometimes you don't," said Eisel of the descent.

"It's flat out from that point on and there is no recovery," summed up Cavendish, who previously stated his goal of winning the Classic as the world champion.

Video courtesy of IG Markets