Intermarché-Wanty is gearing up for its sixth appearance in the upcoming Milano-Sanremo this Saturday, 22nd of March. As the longest one-day race of the year, the Primavera boasts a course of 289 kilometers for its 116th edition, maintaining its renowned ‘Capi’ and a demanding finale.
The race kicks off at 10h15 from Pavia, situated south of the metropolitan city of Milano. Following tradition, the route heads towards the Ligurian coast via the Passo del Turchino, marking the first significant challenge midway through the event.
The last 50 kilometers include the Capo Mele, the Capo Cervo, and the Capo Berta, leading up to the decisive climbs of the Cipressa (5.6km at 4.1%) and the Poggio di Sanremo (3.6km at 3.7%). From the summit of this final ascent, there’s just over 5 kilometers remaining to the finish on the Via Roma.
Biniam Girmay, who finished twelfth in his first Monument appearance at the age of 21, will lead the selection under the direction of Aike Visbeek, Frederik Veuchelen, and Bart Wellens. Like Girmay, German Jonas Rutsch will start La Primavera for the fourth consecutive time. Dutchman Taco van der Hoornreturns for the first time since his remarkable performance in 2021, where he managed to survive from the early breakaway until the slopes of the Cipressa. Tom Paquot and debutants Francesco Busatto, Laurenz Rex, and Luca Van Boven complete the selection.
"The arrival of our second daughter was a truly special moment, and I cherished being with my family. While it was a pity to miss the Belgian opening weekend and Tirreno-Adriatico, it allowed me to capitalize on Eritrea's ideal training conditions. I've had three weeks of intense training on altitude and in good weather, returning to Europe fully recharged and race-ready. We've shown strong team unity early in the season, and our cohesion allows us to improve with each race. Milano-Sanremo is my primary spring objective, the Monument where I feel I have the best chance. This will be my fourth attempt, so I already have experience with the course. But it is always good to refresh the memory and we’ve done efficient training sessions with my trainer Frederik Veuchelen and Francesco Busatto. After three days of training on the route, it's time to race. I'm determined to chase my dream with the team's full support!"
“As a kid, I dreamt of racing the Monuments, each with its own legendary history. With Il Lombardia, which was my first experience in a Monument a couple of months ago, Milano-Sanremo holds a very special place as it is in my home country. Training here on these roads together with Biniam Girmay and Frederik Veuchelen felt magical and reminds me of all childhood days glued to the TV watching my idols. I never missed a race or stage of the Giro d’Italia, cycling was everything. Seeing my idols race and win, I longed to be there myself. Now, to actually participate feels surreal. The reality will probably hit me when the race starts and the crowds erupt. I am really motivated to support Biniam Girmay to keep him as fresh as possible and well-positioned. My trainer, Christophe Prémont, and I have been preparing since December with many long six and even seven-hour rides, building endurance for the challenging final. Positioning will be crucial in the chaotic, high-speed finale. We're ready to fight as a team."
"Biniam Girmay arrived in Italy this Monday after three weeks of altitude training in Eritrea, where he completed high-quality, high-volume sessions. The past couple of days we did course recons with Biniam and Francesco Busatto. On Tuesday, they covered the 'Capi' to Imperia, and the following day they did a longer ride with race simulations on the Cipressa and twice on the Poggio. It's always important to refresh our memory of the crucial Poggio descent. Biniam Girmay will be surrounded by a balanced team with a clear distribution of roles to bring him to the final in the best possible conditions, despite the absence of Kobe Goossens, Dion Smith, and Georg Zimmermann, who fell ill after the demanding week in Paris-Nice. Taco van der Hoorn has already delivered strong performances in this Monument in the past. With Tom Paquot, we have a loyal teammate who will protect Biniam for many long kilometers. Jonas Rutsch and Laurenz Rex are two other assets with strong engines, capable of making the right moves to the front at key moments. Busatto and Luca Van Boven's mission is to support Biniam as far as possible, who himself feels good and extremely motivated for this Milan-Sanremo."
Milano-Sanremo :
Francesco Busatto
Biniam Girmay
Tom Paquot
Laurenz Rex
Jonas Rutsch
Luca Van Boven
Taco van der Hoorn
Sports Directors:
Aike Visbeek
Frederik Veuchelen
Bart Wellens
