Milan-San Remo - Live coverage

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the 2022 Milan-San Remo!

We join live coverage as the riders are in the neutral zone. They set out fifteen minutes ago from the old Vigorelli velodrome.

The easiest Classic to finish is the hardest to win, so speaks that old cycling adage. The profile of Milan- Sanremo looks a little like waves approaching a beach, largely flat until just before it reaches the shore- or in this case Sanremo- where it kicks up into two hills, the Cipressa and the Poggio. Any rhythm that the race has settled into breaks on these two hills too.

The race stops at the end of the neutral zone, preparing for the flag drop.

-293km

Several riders immediately attack from the flag drop, mostly from the wildcard teams. There are two Astana riders, two EOLO-Kometa riders, two Androni Giocattoli riders, a Lotto-Soudal rider and one from Bardiani. The peloton lets them go and the gap between the two groups begins to open up.

We have Stephen Farrand and Barry Ryan reporting from the race today. They were there to witness the start at the velodrome.

-282km

The gap has stretched already to 3'08" and is still growing but the peloton will have plenty of time to reel the breakaway back in.

-279km

There is lots of time in Milan-Sanremo to look ahead towards its main obstacles- the Cipressa and the Poggio. The Cipressa (5.6km at 4.1%) and Poggio (3.7km at 3.7%) would be little more than speed-bumps in any other cycling race but in Milan-Sanremo they are transformed into beasts that shape the entire race. They are small enough that sprinters can survive, or large enough for Classics riders, or even Grand Tour riders to launch attacks. Today, a tailwind will encourage attacks.

-276km

The breakaway consists of Yevgeniy Gidich and Artyom Zakharov (Astana Qazaqstan Team), Alessandro Tonellli (Bardiani-CSF-Faizanè), Filippo Tagliano, Ricardo Alejandro Zurita (Drone Hopper – Androni Giocattoli), Samuele Rivi and Diego Pablo Sevilla (EOLO-Kometa), and Filippo Conca (Lotto Soudal). Behind, Jumbo-Visma and Trek-Segafredo are controlling the peloton.

Wout van Aert is one of the favourites today. Catch up on who else is likely to win with this 5 favourites and 5 outsiders feature.

Mads Pedersen is another of the day's favourites; his team won last year though his teammate Jasper Stuyven is unable to defend his title due to illness.

"It's nice to be here. Now i'm here and the shape is good so hope I can do something nice today," Pedersen said at the start.

"I think as a cyclist sometimes you just have to change your mentality fast and try to prepare as fast as possible. After I got the call on Thursday evening I had to 'turn on' and put my focus to the race and I did good results once in a Monument the first time I did it. Sometimes you can go into a race and don't know what to expect and that can be a benefit also."

"[To beat] Van Aert beat him in a sprint, Pogačar try to follow in the climbs. [For me] I'll follow and then sprint."

-256km

The breakaway are still out in front, 4'51" ahead of the main field.

Much of the pre-race discussion has centred on Pogačar following his spectacular victory at Strade Bianche two weeks ago.

"I did it one time only and it's one of the biggest races in the world. I'm super happy to start," he said at the start.

"We would like to leave them behind on Cipressa but we all know that's quite hard to do. We need to see how the race will go. Our team with our riders we hope it's a hard race.I'm not considering Wout to drop but I think any sprinter here is really hard to drop. We need to try and commit 100% on the plan we have and try to execute it 100%."

"It's quite obvious [what our plan is] - a hard, attacking race, but I cannot tell you exactly."

-244km

Peter Sagan is always there or there abouts at Milan-Sanremo, and has finished twice at La Primavera. His preparations this season have been somewhat disrupted, however, by multiple illnesses.

"I'm good, thank you," he said at the start. "It's good, we have nice weather. I did some Milan-San Remos that were rainy and cold and I prefer weather like this. It's going to be a nice Saturday."

First of all it's important to eat and drink until Cipressa, be at the front and then we'll see. The race will start there. Everything is going to be decided there [Cipressa and Poggio], I think."

-238km

Sanremo is famous for its music festival, and Nizzolo is honouring that history with his helmet today.

The lyrics on it are taken from the song Ciao Ciao by La rappresentante di lista and read:

Con le mani, con le mani, con le mani
Ciao ciao
Con la testa, con il petto, con il cuore
Ciao ciao
E con le gambe, con il culo, coi miei occhi
Ciao

Nizzolo's shoes also feature music notes, and a picture of the Duomo di Milano.

-235km

The riders are passing through Casteggio along flat, straight roads, and the breakaway retains a 5'40" lead over the peloton.

-229km

As at Paris-Nice, the starting list has been decimated by illness ahead of the race. Caleb Ewan, Julian Alaphilippe and defending champion Jasper Stuyven are among the biggest names unable to race. Wout van Aert survived Paris-Nice and has made it to Milan-Sanremo.

"I got a nice few days off with my family, van Aert said at the start. "It was what wanted after a tough week."

"[Riders out ill] might change a little bit but there's still plenty of favourites left. It's strange all the sickness in the bunch but on the other hand it's a Monument and the teams replace them with other strong riders."

"San Remo is very long and fast but sometimes a boring race until we hit the Capi and Cipressa. From then on it's always really hard. Sometimes it looks like there's not much happening but the pace is already really high. So either we'll get attacks or be suffering already."

Van Aert's great rival Mathieu van der Poel was a late addition to the peloton today, marking his recovery from a long-standing back injury. 

-215km

Two of the riders in the breakaway are there for the second consecutive year. Last year, Tonellli and Tagliano were part of the breakaway that was caught as the race hit the Capi.

-213km

Jos van Emden has done much of the pace-setting back in the peloton for Jumbo-Visma, pegging the breakaway to a time-gap of 5'26". He is part of a strong team supporting Wout van Aert that also includes Primož Roglič.

"Not really," said Roglič when asked if he was sad about the absence of cobbles after Denain. "I'm still a bit in pain from the cobbles. I'm not so used to it. There will be no cobbles but it's a super nervous final and it'll be a big and fast fight."

"We'll see in the race [about his recovery from Paris-Nice]. When I don't do anything I feel OK. Of course, I'm tired but it's a long race and you need to have good legs to be there in the final."

"You need to go super far and be super good to come to the point I can give back something to Wout."

-204km

There are flat, green fields on either side of the road as the race enters the Piedmont region, having started in Lombardy. The breakaway holds a 5'42" lead, after 100km of racing.

-195km

At the start, Greg van Avermaet highlighted the importance of the Cipressa, still 175km away.

"I think the Cipressa is always the super-important one," he said. For the positioning and also downhill with the tailwind it's going to be a super fast race. So I think it will be an interesting race. It's a bit of a pity not everyone is here but the field is still strong to have a good race."

I"'ll try to follow as far as possible, keep good position and not lose too much energy. That will be key to a good result at San Remo."

The breakaway have been out front for over 100km already as the race passes through the beautiful town Capriata d'Orba.

-183km

Milan-Sanremo is often referred to as La Primavera and the first signs of spring are appearing along the route. The trees are still mostly bare but leaves are beginning to sprout on some, and the sun is making a tentative appearance. 

-166km

Many of the riders have been talking to Stephen and Barry ahead of the race. Here is a round-up of what they all said.

-166km

Pedersen suffers a rear-wheel puncture but there is little action in the race at the moment so he should make his way back into the main field without much difficulty.

-156km

The riders are approaching the Passo del Turchino- the first climb of the race. It is featuring in the race for the first time since the pandemic. After the Turchino, the race travels along the coast towards San Remo.

-152km

The Turchino is in 2km. It is 2.7km long with an average gradient of 5.6%. The breakaway are still 6'48" ahead of the peloton ahead of the first climb.

-148km

On the Turchino, the pace still seems high. Even if no attacks occur on this climb, every little acceleration and deceleration will count towards the end of this 300km long race.

-141km

Nizzolo is at the back of the peloton as the race descends down the Turchino. Soon, the sea will appear in the background and the second section of the race will begin.

The breakaway has made its way to the seafront as the scenery around them has changed dramatically from just a few kilometres ago. The sea will run alongside the race until San Remo now. 

-131km

Fabio Jakobsen of Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl has been invisible in the race so far, saving energy so that he has the best chance of surviving the Cipressa and the Poggio.

-123km

The pace briefly lifted in the peloton on the descent of the Turchino as Rein Taaramäe attempted to make the race difficult for his teammate, Alexander Kristoff. With his intervention, the gap to the breakaway dropped but it has now ballooned again to 7'06" since the chase is disorganised at the moment.

In news outside of Milan-Sanremo, Chris Froome has announced that he will make his season debut at Settimana Coppi e Bartali.

-107km

The slow rhythm of the race was briefly disrupted with a crash at the back of the peloton a few minutes ago. Much of the Bardiani team and a Movistar rider were involved but none of the favourites seem to be affected.

-101km

As the gap stabilises at seven minutes, Jos van Emden of Jumbo-Visma finally has some help at the front of the peloton. Bahrain-Victorious have sent Jan Tratnik up to control the pace.

-94km

The race is now within the last 100 kilometres and the breakaway still hold a 7'00" lead over the peloton. Trek-Segafredo have also sent a man to the front to help with the chase.

The gap is beginning to fall now as the peloton organises itself for the finale. It is now 6'39".

-83km

The first Capo, the Capo Mele, arrives in 35 kilometres and signals the beginning of the finale. As the race winds around the cliff faces, the peloton is 6'23" behind the breakaway.

-76km

With the tailwind, it has been a fast day with an average speed of 44 kmh, according to the Milan-Sanremo official website. The pace is increasing once more and the gap is down to 5'51".

-70km

The peloton is composed of teams lined up in order now with the Capi on the horizon. First comes the Capo Mele in 20 kilometres, then the Capo Cervo five kilometres later, and the Capo Berta eight kilometres after that. They act as the first indications of form before the Cipressa and Poggio.

The breakaway too seems to have an added urgency to it. They are still working well together, rolling through, and retain a 5'32" lead over the peloton.

-61km

Milan-Sanremo is a rarity in cycling since its route has increased in length since its first edition. In 1907, 33 riders rode 288km but only 14 finished it. Lucian Petit-Breton was the winner of the inaugural edition. 

-60km

Mikkel Honoré crashes at high speed on rough tarmac but gets back on his bike, with rips in his lycra, to help his team.

-54km

The gap still hovers at five minutes but the breakaway have been out front for nearly 250 kilometers while much of the peloton, with the notable exception of Jos van Emden, have been protected from the wind.

-53km

The breakaway are on the slopes of the Capo Mele, the shortest climb of the three Capi. Immediately, they are out of their seats to navigate its relatively shallow gradients.

-50km

The Capo Mele has taken 30 seconds out of the breakaway's lead. With 50km to race, they are 4'29" ahead of the peloton.

-45km

The breakaway are already on the Capo Cervo, while the peloton are still on the approach. Though it is difficult to see from the television cameras, riders are beginning to discover whether they have the form to win today on the Capi as they test their climbing legs.

-42km

Jacopo Guarnieri, who rides for Groupama-FDJ but is not riding today, offers some insight into the mindset of the peloton at this point in the race.

-41km

The breakaway fractures- the two Androni Giocattoli riders have been dropped with Zakharov- following an attack.

Zakharov is struggling to close the gap on the Capo Berta. He makes his way across without the Androni-Giocatoli riders but the breakaway fractures once more. Only four riders are left out front now

-38km

Zakharov is dropped once more leaving Tonelli, Gidich, Rivi and Sevilla out front.

-36km

Surprisingly, Tom Pidcock is dropped on the Capo Berta and signals to the motorbike that he will not be contesting for the win today.

-34km

After the slow, long build-up, the race is now heading towards the Cipressa just 7.5kilometres away now. The breakaway is 3'23" ahead of the main field.

-32km

Conca had rejoined the breakaway after the Capo Berta but is cramping so badly he stops by the side of the road.

-31km

Conca remounts his bike gingerly but is now a long way behind the front of the race.

-29km

Ahead of the Cipressa, a drag race begins in the peloton for positioning. Jumbo-Visma, TotalEnergies and Ineos-Grenadiers are among the teams at the front. Peter Sagan, however, is detached from his teammates with a mechanical and is off the back of the peloton.

-27.5km

Following that injection of pace, the gap to the breakaway has fallen to 2'17".

-26.5km

The peloton is flat out in the run-in to the Cipressa. Bahrain-Victorious move to the front, van der Poel is being protected near the front, Luke Rowe is near the front for Ineos-Grenadiers too.

-25.6km

Team UAE Emirates hit the front of the peloton as the road rises upwards. Now Jumbo-Visma set a steadier pace on the climb.

-25.2km

Viviani is already being dropped on the climb. Sagan is navigating his way through the shattered remnants of the peloton.

-24.4km

Team UAE Emirates are back on the front of a noticeably reduced peloton. Pogačar is stuck to the wheel of van Aert. The gap to the breakaway, meanwhile, is 1'21" and falling.

-23.4km

Davide Formolo is on the front now, gritting his teeth as he strings out the bunch for Pogačar. Fabio Jakobsen is among the sprinters dropped on the Cipressa.

-22km

Such was the high pace on the Cipressa that the now two-man breakaway has just a 44 second lead. The peloton now contains only about 30 or 40 riders.

-20km

UAE are still on the front, leading the peloton down the descent and keeping the pace high so that riders can't make their way back up to the front. It is an exceptionally small group.

-17.7km

Just twenty seconds separate the breakaway and the peloton on the Cipressa's descent. The Poggio will rear its head in 12 kilometres.

-15.7km

Arnaud Demare, Michael Matthews, Pedersen, van der Poel and van Aert are all still in the front group.

-13.3km

UAE and Jumbo-Visma are still driving forwards, and both Pogačar and van Aert have a couple of teammates left each.

-10.6km

Water bottles are being jettisoned by the peloton as they prepare for the Poggio. They are still 15 seconds behind the leading duo.

-8.8km

The peloton are onto the Poggio and Diego Ulissi moves to the front with Christophe Laporte. The breakaway are caught.

-8.3km

UAE accelerate. Pogacar moves into second wheel with van Aert right behind him.

-7.9km

Pogacar attacks and van Aert follows him with van der Poel

-7.2km

Pogacar attacks once again but still cannot shake the attentions of van Aert. A crash behind seems to have ended the victory chances of Aranburu

-6.7km

Roglic counter-attacks, and is followed by van der Poel.

-6.1km

Pogacar attacks for a fourth time but still cannot distance van Aert or van der Poel. Kragh Andersen now goes and stretches everyone to their limit.

-5.7km

Kragh Andersen accelerates again and only Pogacar, van Aert and van der Poel are with him. That quartet has a small gap back to the rest of the group as they crest the Poggio.

-3.4km

The race regroups on the descent and Mohorič attacks on the descent. He nearly crashes due to the risks he is taking but remains upright and has a small gap.

-2.4km

Van der Poel is leading the chase behind as Mohorič uses every inch of the tarmac, and some of the verge, to prise open a gap.

-1.4km

There is only a small group behind Mohorič, and it is one shorn of any domestiques so the chase is not quite organised yet.

-800m

Mohorič has a small mechanical on the corner but he still remains in front.

Turgis has jumped across and is closing the gap.

Mohorič holds on for a remarkable victory at Milan-Sanremo!

After all the talk of the Cipressa and Poggio during the build-up, it was the descent that proved decisive. It looks as if Mohorič's chain dropped off on the final corner but he put it back on. Anthony Turgis finished second, and van der Poel completed the podium on his first race back.

Top 10

1 Matej Mohoric (Slo) Bahrain Victorious 06:27:49
2 Anthony Turgis (Fra) TotalEnergies 00:00:02
3 Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) Alpecin-Fenix
4 Michael Matthews (Aus) BikeExchange-Jayco
5 Tadej Pogacar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates
6 Mads Pedersen (Den) Trek-Segafredo
7 Soren Kragh Andersen (Nor) Team DSM
8 Wout van Aert (Bel) Jumbo-Visma
9 Jan Tratnik (Slo) Movistar 00:00:05
10 Arnaud Demare (Fra) Groupama-FDJ 00:00:11

In the end, Mohorič held on to win by two seconds.

“I was thinking about this race for the whole winter,” Mohorič said at the finish. “The team came up with the idea of using a dropper post. This race suits me very well and has a descent at the end. I knew that if I could train properly over the winter and try to be in a good enough condition to not be dropped on the Poggio and be with the best guys over the top that I would have a chance of doing my best descent and risking a little bit but being able to hang on for the win.”

“The team set up a bike for me and we had this plan for a long long time now. I was thinking at first maybe it’s not going to make a huge difference on the descents but then I tried it in training and the first time I tried it I was like amazed of how much safer [it is], it gives you way more control over the bike and if you go full gas, you can go a little bit faster. And even it’s easier to avoid mistakes or correct them when they happen. I was in perfect condition after I was ill in February for Strade Bianche but unfortunately I had quite a big crash when Alaphilippe crashed and I hurt my knee pretty bad so I was off the bike for three or four days but I never stopped believing.”

“I said if we worked so hard this winter and set up the bike and everything then we need to make the best of it. I did a lot of physio, every night, every morning and I did some basic training to keep as much condition as possible. Today, I’m here. I was not going super well but it was enough to hang on with the best over the Poggio and then I just went all in and I can’t believe it!”

“I’m still disappointed," van der Poel said after he finished third. "I think from the biggest favourites, I won the sprint for third place so it’s a shame that we couldn’t sprint for victory today but that’s Milan-Sanremo. It’s a few times that it went like this already and it’s just a difficult race to win.” 

“He certainly had a gap, I didn’t expect that. I think he had Pogačar on his wheel and then he had a small gap but we all know that Matej Mohorič can do quick descents. I thought the group was big enough also to close the gap when we were down but I think he deserves it as well. It’s strong if you can maintain the gap until the finish line.”

“Also there was a bit of lack of cooperation. I think we were two riders with Pedersen and van Aert that really tried to close the gap. We needed just one or two teammates to close the gap for us but that’s racing.”