Milan - San Remo Betting Odds and Event Info

Date: 2027.03.20
Contest: CYCLING
Location: Pavia to Sanremo, Italy


Milan-San Remo is one of the most respected road cycling competitions as riders from around the world come to Italy to participate in the prestigious race. The competition is generally scheduled in March and is known as La Primavera, or the Spring Classic. It is also called La Classicissima.


Route and Distance

Milan-San Remo is the longest of cycling's five Monuments, with a route approaching 300 km. The 2026 edition covered 298 km, although the exact distance can change from year to year.

With its March scheduling, it is the first Monument of the season.


History and Inaugural Season

The race's origins include an unsuccessful two-stage motor race between Milan and San Remo in 1906. The organizers switched to bicycles the following year.

Just like many other major road cycling events, the Milan San Remo race was also started by a newspaper. Gazzetta dello Sport organized the first official Milan San Remo Race in 1907. French rider Lucien Petit-Breton was the inaugural winner.

The race was organized again in the following season after the great commercial success. Since then, the race has been a regular fixture of the road cycling calendar.


Tradition and Prestige

Five road cycling races are classified as the Five Monuments of Cycling. Milan San Remo is one of those monuments. The other four races are the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, and Il Lombardia.

Milan San Remo is the first of these five monuments and is considered among the most iconic, prestigious, and hardest road cycling events.

Between 1989 and 2004, Milan San Remo remained the opening race of the UCI Road World Cup.


Route and Characteristics

The race is one of the hardest and toughest races in road cycling, as its lengthy route serves as a stern test for cyclists around the world. Historically, it has followed a point-to-point route between Milan and San Remo, although recent editions have started outside Milan.

The traditional route crosses the Passo del Turchino before reaching the Ligurian coast. Riders then tackle the Capo Mele, Capo Cervo and Capo Berta before the two best-known climbs in the finale: the Cipressa and the Poggio di Sanremo.

The Cipressa is 5.6 km long, while the Poggio measures 3.7 km. Neither is especially long by professional cycling standards, but they arrive after almost a full day of racing. Attacks on these climbs, the technical descents and the final run into Sanremo can all decide the outcome.

The race can finish with a solo winner, a small group contesting the sprint, or a larger group of surviving sprinters.


Starting Point and Finish

Recent editions have started in Pavia, south of Milan. Pavia is also set to host the start in 2027. The finish is on Via Roma in central Sanremo, following the descent from the Poggio.


Women's Race

Between 1999 and 2005, a separate women's race was organized under the name Primavera Rosa. The race was organized alongside the men's competition. However, the overall length of the race was comparatively shorter.

The women's event returned in 2025 as Sanremo Women, with Lorena Wiebes winning the revived race.

Lotte Kopecky won the 2026 edition for Team SD Worx-Protime, ahead of Noemi Ruegg and Eleonora Gasparrini. The 156 km race started in Genoa and included the Cipressa and Poggio before finishing on Via Roma.


2026 Winner

Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia won the 2026 Milan-San Remo for UAE Team Emirates XRG, securing his first victory in the race. He recovered from a crash before the Cipressa and beat Tom Pidcock in a two-rider sprint on Via Roma.

The final podium was:

- 1st: Tadej Pogacar, UAE Team Emirates XRG - 6 hours, 35 minutes and 49 seconds.
- 2nd: Tom Pidcock, Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team - same time.
- 3rd: Wout van Aert, Team Visma-Lease a Bike - 4 seconds behind.

Mathieu van der Poel from the Netherlands won the Milan-San Remo 2025 men's race, ahead of Filippo Ganna and Tadej Pogacar in the final sprint to the line. This was his second Milan-San Remo victory.


Milan-San Remo Betting Markets

Available markets vary by bookmaker and may include the race winner, podium finishes, top-ten finishes and head-to-head matchups between riders.

Recent form, endurance, descending ability and the strength of a rider's team all matter. Weather and wind direction can also affect whether attacks on the Cipressa or Poggio succeed, or whether a group reaches Via Roma together.


Past Winners

Eddy Merckx

Belgian cyclist and 11-time Grand Tour winner Eddy Merckx holds the record for winning the most editions of Milan-San Remo. The cycling great won the race seven times: in 1966, 1967, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1975 and 1976.

Costante Girardengo

The First Champion of Champions of the Cycling World, Costante Girardengo, won 6 titles at Milan San Remo Cycle Race in 1918, 1921, 1923, 1925, 1926, and 1928.

Gino Bartali and Erik Zabel

Bartali and Zabel have won the Milan-San Remo four times each. Bartali won the races in 1939, 1940, 1947, and 1950 while Zabel won the races in 1997, 1998, 2000, and 2001.

Oscar Freire

Oscar Freire has been one of the most successful road cyclists since the turn of the century. He won three races in 2004, 2007, and 2010.


The 2027 Milan-San Remo

The 2027 Milan-San Remo is scheduled for Saturday, March 20. It will be the 118th edition of the race, starting in Pavia and finishing in Sanremo.

The full 2027 route and start list have not yet been announced.

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