Predicting the winner is already a gamble, but when it comes to the Milan-San Remo, it becomes as difficult as picking the winning lottery ticket. The Spring Classic, the first Monument of the season, is the most unpredictable race on the calendar: it is by definition, by its route - long and easy like no other - and by its ability to bring out new names and faces every year.

THE ROUTE. As last year, and as will happen until 2027, the Milan-San Remo 2025 will start from Pavia, heading north towards Milan, reaching the Certosa and entering the traditional route. Passing through Casteggio and Voghera before a further detour in the Pavia territory, reaching Rivazzano and Salice Terme to return to the classic route in Tortona and from there follow it to the finish, retracing the road that for over 110 years has connected Milan with the Riviera di Ponente, touching Ovada, the Turchino Pass to descend to Genoa-Voltri. Along the Aurelia state road, passing through Varazze, Savona, Albenga, Alassio, and Imperia. At San Lorenzo al Mare, after the classic sequence of the Capi (Mele, Cervo, and Berta), the Cipressa begins: 5.6 km at 4.1% before a very technical descent back to the Aurelia. Nine kilometers from the finish, the climb to the Poggio di Sanremo begins (3.7 km at just under 4% average with peaks of 8% in the section before the summit), followed by a challenging descent back to the flat two kilometers from the final finish line on Via Roma.

THE CONTENDERS. The list of riders aiming for success is long and incomplete, given that we are more than three weeks from the event. But we can identify three major categories.

Among the SPRINTERS, who are not necessarily pure sprinters, there is Jasper Philipsen who won last year, Michael Matthews who has been on the podium multiple times, Eritrean Biniam Girmay, Danish Mads Pedersen, young New Zealander Laurence Pithie, Belgian champion Arnaud De Lie, and the Visma duo of Christophe Laporte and Olav Kooij.

Against them will fight the ATTACKERS, and here the aces are mainly two: world champion Tadej Pogačar, who is chasing his first San Remo victory, and Mathieu Van der Poel who already has the Classic in his palmares. Like him, Matej Mohoric, who made an authentic flying descent in 2022, Jasper Stuyven, Julian Alaphilippe, and his teammate Marc Hirschi have a win. The category also includes Danish Cort, British Pidcock, and French Vauquelin, all already victorious in 2025.

Finally, the third category is the ITALIANS with Filippo Ganna and Jonathan Milan, who, as you have read, are our absolute big names for this race, and with them we can place a few chips on national champion Alberto Bettiol and Vincenzo Albanese. Many names? Perhaps, but certainly not too many, because we can bet that on March 22nd, among the protagonists of San Remo, there will be someone we haven't mentioned. And this, be sure, is a bet we "like to win easily".