The first Monument of the year is almost here! La Primavera goes down on Saturday, and means that for us cycling fans, it’s the true start of the Spring Classics.

Milano-Sanremo is a loooong day in the saddle for the men: almost 300 km. It usually all comes down to the last climb, the Poggio. Or not at all.

In 2026 there will again be a women’s edition, formally known as Milano-Sanremo Donne. This is the second time MSR is taking place for women. (Kinda.)

Men’s MSR

In the men’s race, it may very well come down again to Tadej Pogačar and Mathieu van der Poel.

For Pogačar, victory in Milano-Sanremo (along with Paris-Roubaix) remains one of the few major prizes missing from his remarkable résumé. Unfortunately for him, just like Roubaix, there is van der Poel, who has repeatedly proven he thrives in MSR.

The problem is, the course simply isn’t hard enough for the current world champion, but he’s tried multiple times to try and outsmart tradition. In 2025 the race exploded as Pogačar tried his darndest to drop everyone on the Poggi. It almost worked–only two riders managed to stay with him in the ultimate winning move.

But according to very loud whispers in the peloton, this year the world champ is going to launch on the Cipressa.

Despite Pogi’s repeated accelerations, van der Poel refused to crack…although he came pretty darn close. “I died a thousand deaths holding Pogačar’s wheel,” the Alpecin-Premier Tech rider said after.

In 2025, almost at the crest of the Poggio, MvdP managed to launch a brutal counter-attack. In 2025, the final sprint was two riders could follow: van der Poel and Filippo Ganna. Pogačar managed to get back on his wheel, but in the sprint on the Via Roma, the Alpecin-Premier Tech rider smoked his breakaway companions.

Ineos’s Filippo Ganna took second, with Pogi third. On Saturday, there’s one Canuck racing in the men’s race: Pier-André Côté of NSN Cycling Team.

Sanremo Donne

The second edition of the women’s race starts in Genoa and finishes on Via Roma. The women will race 156 km–although some argue it should be longer.

They will, however, tackle the same finishing climbs, including the Cipressa and the Poggio di Sanremo. Although this is technically the second time it’s been part of the Women’s WorldTour, there have been just over half a dozen versions of it before.

The race began in 1999 as the Primavera Rosa. It was part of the UCI Women’s World Cup, but was cancelled in 2006. Last year it returned to the calendar. Five Canadian women will be there: Olivia Baril (Movistar Team), Sarah Van Dam (Team Visma – Lease a Bike), Kiara Lylyk (Mayenne Monbana My Pie) and the St Michel – Preference Home – Auber93 duo of Alison Jackson and Clara Emond.

You can tune into the men’s race at 4:50 a.m. EDT on Flobikes.com. The women’s coverage begins at 7:30 a.m. EDT. Afterwards, check back on Canadian Cycling Magazine for full reports on both.

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