Cycling: The first monument of the 2017 season will take place on Saturday with Milan – Sanremo. With almost 300 km and two steep climbs in the final, the outcome of the race is always uncertain and holds surprises. We have summarized all important information.
Milan – Sanremo 2017: the route – decision at Poggio ?
The Cipressa and the Poggio, the last two climbs at the end of Milan - Sanremo are traditionally the focus, here at the latest it will be decided who can still fight for victory. The Poggio in particular will ensure a preliminary decision, some sprinters can no longer follow the pace of the group of favorites and the mountain specialists are trying to gain a decisive lead. At least as important as the last climb is the descent, which doesn't seem particularly difficult. It's not particularly steep, nor are there major technical difficulties or hard switchbacks. But after almost 300 km, many drivers are no longer quite fresh and their concentration also decreases. In recent years, some drivers have fallen again and again and therefore could not do anything. The sprinters have to work their way back up after the climb in order to be able to intervene in the sprint in the best possible position.
Milan – Sanremo 2017: teams and starters
Milan – Sanremo 2017: The favourites
Peter Sagan - The World Champion
In the last few days at Tirenno-Adriatico, Peter Sagan has impressively demonstrated that he is in top form and can handle any terrain. Thanks to his technique, the descent from Poggio will be easy and maybe he will be the fastest on the home stretch this year.
Arnaud Demare – The defending champion
Arnaud Demare also showed his great form at Paris – Nice and was even able to wear yellow for a few days. As last year's winner, he knows how to win Milan - Sanremo and will certainly do everything to be at the top this year.
Fernando Gaviria - The Unlucky One
The super-fast Fernando Gaviria is considered an absolute contender for this year's edition. Fell in a promising position just before the finish line last year and could complete the coup this year. He definitely has what it takes.
John Degenkolb - The German hope
The German fans will keep their fingers crossed for Dege, after he was unable to repeat his victory last year due to a serious training accident, he will try to be at the top again this year. With good results at Paris-Nice, the form also seems to be right, and Dege already knows how it's done on the Via Roma. Other German drivers at the start are: Nico Denz, Marcus Burghardt, Marcel Sieberg, Jasha Sütterlin, Paul Martens, Nikias Arndt and Simon Geschke.
Milan – Sanremo 2017: TV broadcast
With live images on free TV, things are looking bad again this year. Although Eurosport 2 is broadcasting the final phase of the race live from 14:15 p.m., it can only be received via Pay TV in most regions of Germany. Eurosport 1 offers a 22-minute recording from 15:60 p.m.
Eurosport 2 : Live from 14:15
Eurosport 1: recording (60 min) 22:15