Should the route of Milano—Sanremo change?

[Netserk]

Milán San Remo: historia, evolución y alternativas al recorrido

Es un debate que ya lleva produciéndose durante muchos años, pero con el desastre organizativo de la inclusión / no inclusión de Pompeiana en la Milán – San Remo 2014 y el resultado de ésta, …

plataformarecorridosciclistas.org

 

[Didinho]

I would not change the final. Not every race should become harder or different.

Also it’s the easiest race to win on PCM, even if I haven’t played it in 5+ years, leave it!
It’s been with the Pompeiana once and it became a whole other race/outcome.

 

[Peyroteo94]

Colla Micheri is very interesting

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Put the start back in Milano and bring back le manie

 

[Red Rick]

Nobody is ready for Red Rick Roadblocks, torches, pitchforks, bonfires, and hate glitter attacks when the route is changed.

 

[Netserk]

It’s been with the Pompeiana once and it became a whole other race/outcome.

It was planned to be, but never actually had it in the race.

Pompeiana out of Milan-San Remo | Cyclingnews.com

Climb removed from race route

www.cyclingnews.com

They then changed their minds before the 2015 edition, so even when they could have introduced it, they didn't.

 

[Red Rick]

Pompeiana would have been interesting in a previous era.

Also, if they ever do use it, they have to remove the Poggio IMO.

 

[Didinho]

It was planned to be, but never actually had it in the race.

Pompeiana out of Milan-San Remo | Cyclingnews.com

Climb removed from race route

www.cyclingnews.com

They then changed their minds before the 2015 edition, so even when they could have introduced it, they didn't.

I meant on the game. Sometimes the routes changes there.

I don’t mind to have some changes in semi-classics or so, but not in the 5 monuments. It is like it is. Not every rider has a chance in all of them.

 

[E_F_]

I guess it shouldn't be changed... But if/when the watts drop again, I think it probably should.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

I would not change the final. Not every race should become harder or different.

Also it’s the easiest race to win on PCM, even if I haven’t played it in 5+ years, leave it!
It’s been with the Pompeiana once and it became a whole other race/outcome.

Although I do agree that the route doesn't need changing, I don't think PCM results should generally determine parcours. There were also some editions of the game where it was easy to win the Hamburg Cyclassics with an attack on Waseberg.

 

[will-10]

We have enough w/kg contests and enough nailed on bunch sprints through the year that we can mostly leave this one alone as somewhere in between, IMO.
What makes San Remo great is that the answer to every question is "maybe". As soon as any of those questions are a definite "yes" or "no", then sure tweak things a little.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

The only changes I would consider are moving the start back to Milan and bringing back Le Manie, and after today I'm not sure about the second one because in the long term I don't know that you want the race getting blown up by the summit of Cipressa every single edition.

I have also come to the conclusion that sending a big peloton down Colla Michieri would be a big risk in the way of crashes, that descent has proven to be trickier than it looks.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Moving the start back to Milan seems very popular, but I can't imagine it would make the tiniest difference to the significant part of the race. Is this out of tradition, or scenery (I'd be surprised) or what?

 

[Gigs_98]

There were a few years after they removed Le Manie when it really felt like this race was developing into a sprinters classic, but then editions somehow stopped ending in bunch sprints and since the 2017 edition (the one Kwiatkowski won) the race has only finished in a sprint of at least 10 riders twice and even those editions have been quite good. For quite some time I think cycling routes had to become more and more selective to create good racing and races like this really suffered from that development. But now we are seeing the opposite happening where a few riders are so dominant that you have to make routes easier to get exciting races and as a result MSR is flourishing. Now I will admit that I would be extremely interested in what Pogacar would do if they put Le Manie back in but realistically it's hard to overstate what a fantastic effect it has on races if Pogacar needs to get creative to win and so I don't think the current form should be messed with. Put the start back to Milano though, that's an easy albeit not important improvement.

 

[MJR]

Absolutely not.

Wanna win it? Adjust yourself to the race, not the other way around.

 

[stekelegel]

why change? Not to make it so that the same 5 riders that dominate other races win here to? It’s great that riders from sprinters to lightweight climbers can both win. I would prefer a race that has more possible scenarios then now, combined with the same mix of riders.
I saw editions with la manie and it was just more of a compact bunch riding up some col very fast and only cavendish relegated.
My solution would be to ad some cobbles to poggio…

 

[RedheadDane]

Voted "Other/Vino"

The route should be changed around frequently enough that it doesn't get stuck on being the same year after year.

 

[SafeBet]

Moving the start back to Milan seems very popular, but I can't imagine it would make the tiniest difference to the significant part of the race. Is this out of tradition, or scenery (I'd be surprised) or what?

Nothing against Pavia but Castello Sforzesco was a beautiful setting for the start. The problem is RCS can't do much about it if the town administration of Milan cares so little about a historic race.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

I think the route is perfect the way it is.

 

[gregrowlerson]

There isn't really a right or wrong answer as traditions start and end randomly when it comes to cycling course design: Lombardia was very different when Gilbert won it, just as LBL is quite a different finish now to when Valverde was dominant. But I doubt that Pogacar would want to win MSR only after the course was made significantly more climber friendly. And since the current course isn't impeding great racing, I vote no to keep it the same (though nothing is perfect).

 

[Netserk]

Nothing against Pavia but Castello Sforzesco was a beautiful setting for the start. The problem is RCS can't do much about it if the town administration of Milan cares so little about a historic race.

I thought the long-term contract with Rome for the finish of the Giro was the initiation of the conflict?

 

[Red Rick]

There were a few years after they removed Le Manie when it really felt like this race was developing into a sprinters classic, but then editions somehow stopped ending in bunch sprints and since the 2017 edition (the one Kwiatkowski won) the race has only finished in a sprint of at least 10 riders twice and even those editions have been quite good. For quite some time I think cycling routes had to become more and more selective to create good racing and races like this really suffered from that development. But now we are seeing the opposite happening where a few riders are so dominant that you have to make routes easier to get exciting races and as a result MSR is flourishing. Now I will admit that I would be extremely interested in what Pogacar would do if they put Le Manie back in but realistically it's hard to overstate what a fantastic effect it has on races if Pogacar needs to get creative to win and so I don't think the current form should be messed with. Put the start back to Milano though, that's an easy albeit not important improvement.

I think with Milano Sanremo in particular the change was also largely just a paradigm shift. Teams would bring mainly rouleurs, and there would be no strong teams to set a hard pace on the Poggio. Riders trying to get away on the Poggio would just make solo attacks and then the small group would just be caught on the Via Roma.

 

[Netserk]

I think with Milano Sanremo in particular the change was also largely just a paradigm shift. Teams would bring mainly rouleurs, and there would be no strong teams to set a hard pace on the Poggio. Riders trying to get away on the Poggio would just make solo attacks and then the small group would just be caught on the Via Roma.

QS were the first to truly drill it from the bottom in 2019. A superb train in front of Ala.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Le Manie would be fine, other changes aren't needed atm, with the current meta.

 

[gavia88]

before the Pog era I definitely would have liked the Civezza before the Cipressa. It would have given the race some possibilities to create some more caos. It would not have made the race super hard, but at least moved the only 10 minutes of action into a final were some early moves from other types of riders would have been possible. Under the current conditions, I think it's best for the race to let Pog try to win on a course that's not perfectly fit for him. So for now no changes.