1
The notion that Milan-Sanremo is the easiest of cycling’s five “monument” races to complete, but the hardest to win, is backed up by the numbers. Over the last decade, more than 95% of the peloton has finished the race in Sanremo, yet there have been 17 different winners in the last 18 years.
Mathieu van der Poel broke that trend of new names on the winners’ list last season. With the winners of the seven most recent editions all starting this year’s race, there are now plenty of contenders for another former champion to capture the victory.
Alongside Van der Poel, those past winners include Philipsen, Mohoric, Stuyven, Van Aert and Alaphilippe. Adding Kwiatkowski and Degenkolb, the field boasts a remarkable eight previous champions.
