- It may be difficult to tell,
but Spring is here because it's the time for
the first monument of the season,
Milan-Sanremo.
It's the longest world-tour race on the calendar,
over 290 kilometres.
But, generally, it's the last hour of the race
where all the action happens.
Attacks are sure to fly on the final two climbs,
the Cipressa and the Poggio.
And a potential bunch sprint on the Via Roma to follow.
Here are the seven riders who we think
could be in with a shout this Saturday.
Arnaud Demare.
If you're looking for a ride with
a good track record at this race,
and good recent form,
look no further than Arnaud Demare.
The French National Champion took out La Primavera in 2016,
and more recently won the opening stage of this year's
Paris-Nice in a tricky uphill drag to the line.
He's proven in recent years that he's
a bit more than a pure sprinter and
is more than capable of lasting the 300-kilometer distance.
Alexander Kristoff,
another former winner of this race back in 2015.
Alexander Kristoff always seems to be there,
or thereabouts, in the classics.
Milan-Sanremo is a race well-suited to his talents.
It's hard enough to soften up the pure sprinters,
but not quite hard enough to really
soften up Kristoff that much.
If the race stays together, that is.
It's going to be interesting to see
what sort of a line up his new UAE Emirates team
assembles for Milan-Sanremo and the Classics season beyond
in support of the Norwegian.
Caleb Ewan.
Mitchelton-Scott's pocket rocket
surprised a few people when he finished
a creditable 10th in his first ever
Milan-Sanremo last year.
We can only imagine he'll come back
fitter, stronger, and more tactically savvy in 2018.
He's had a promising early season down under,
and he followed that up with a win
in the Clásica Almeria in February.
He will have the likes of Luka Mezgek
and new recruit Matteo Trentin
to help guide him into position during the hectic finale.
Sonny Colbrelli.
Brahrain-Merida's Sonny Colbrelli
could be an outside shot at becoming
the first Italian to win this race
since Filippo Pozzato in 2006.
His dominant win to the Hatta Dam in this year's Dubai tour,
demonstrates that he deserves to be counted
among the best punchy sprinters in the world.
Colbrelli clearly isn't just a sprinter, though,
as his 10th place in last year's Ronde van Vlaanderen
proved he is more than capable
at competing in the top level in the monument.
Peter Sagan.
The bookie's favourite is Peter Sagan.
And, as we know by now,
he's a hard man to bet against.
Last year, he initiated an attack on the Poggio
which ended up making the selection
that then decided the race.
Coming away from the race with second place then
may have left Sagan wondering what would have happened
had he waited for the bunch sprint.
Which just emphasises the fact
that he has the capabilities to win this race
in a variety of different ways.
He's had top five finishes in four
of the last six editions.
Could 2016 be the year that he finally takes the win?
Michal Kwiatkowski.
So often the thorn in Peter Sagan's side,
Kwiatkowski won his first monument
with victory over Sagan in last year's Milan-Sanremo.
It often seems that there is no type of race
that Kwiatkow can't win in,
as shown by his performance at
this year's Tirreno Adriatico.
Not only did he take the overall win
in a show of consistency,
but he challenged the pure sprinters on stage two,
taking fourth place and even beating Fernando Gaviria.
Kwiatkowski will be minded to make sure
the race doesn't come down to a bunch sprint, though.
So expect to see the Sky train
make an appearance on the Cipressa and the Poggio.
Julian Alaphilippe.
Without a doubt, Alaphilippe is one of the most
exciting riders in the pro Peloton to watch.
His aggressive, punchy style regularly
decimates bunches throughout the season.
The question remains, though,
whether Alaphilippe can translate
these performances into big wins.
He made the podium in three of the five monuments
last year but was unable to take the win in any of them.
With Fernando Gaviria unable to start La Primavera,
will this be the year Alaphilippe
finally climbs onto the top step of a monument?
Well, those are our picks for this year's Milan-Sanremo
but we want to hear from you, too.
So let us know who your favourite for the race is
down in the comments.
If you've enjoyed this video,
make sure you hit the thumbs up button and share it, too.
And to see another video which is
related to the experience that many of
the sprinters will face on the final two climbs,
click onscreen now to watch
How to Hang Tough on the Climb.
Make sure you subscribe to GCN, too,
and if you do subscribe,
make sure to set your notifications.