Cycling's first Monument race of the season is finally upon us with the Milan-San Remo aka La Classica Primavera, as it's affectionally called. The Northwestern Italian competition (the 114th of its kind) begins on Saturday, March 18. For an in-depth guide to the Milan-San Remo, plus expert betting picks on who wins, you'll want to keep reading!
2023 Milan-San Remo Preview
Our preview of the looming Milan-San Remo has to start with one very important detail: the course has changed from years prior. There's actually a new starting line for competitors. Rather than beginning inside the city center of Milan — as was tradition — the race will depart from Abbiategrasso, around 25 kilometers southwest of Milan. There were other events inside the city, which forced the change to be made.
This new departure is only about 30 kilometers. After that, the race returns to its usual course into Pavia and travels south towards the Italian coastline. The end is still a trek through the famed Tre Capi climbs (Capo Mele, Capo Cervo and Capo Berta). Next, the riders reach the foot of the Poggio – which is a climb described as "the most important six minutes in cycling." All in all, the San Remo is a whole 294 kilometers long. It is the longest one-day race in the professional racing calendar.
The defending champion is none other than Matej Mohoric. The San Remo all too often comes down the aforementioned Poggio climb, and it's this descent where Mohoric broke away from the group. The Slovenian took dangerous risks that almost launched him off the road, but risks no other chase dared to do which ultimately decided it. It's worth mentioning that no rider has won San Remo on back-to-back occasions since Erik Zabel in 2001. So Mohoric will have two decades' worth of history against him on Saturday.
Perhaps that's why Mohoric is not the number-one-favored rider on the San Remo betting odds. As it stands, the top bookmakers have given the following riders the best cycling odds of winning the San Remo this weekend:
| Cyclist |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wout Van Aert | +500 | +500 | +500 |
| Tadej Pogačar | +700 | +700 | +700 |
| Caleb Ewan | +800 | +800 | +800 |
| Matej Mohoric | +800 | +800 | +800 |
| Mathieu van der Poel | +1100 | +1100 | +1100 |
| Tom Pidcock | +1100 | +1100 | +1100 |
| Mads Pedersen | +1400 | +1400 | +1400 |
| Julian Alaphilippe | +1400 | +1400 | +1400 |
It's worth weighing recent history at this event. A different rider has won each of the last six events — all of which going to a rider in either solo attacks or small-group sprints.
2023 Milan-San Remo Betting Advice
Betting on the 2023 Milan-San Remo isn't a matter of just picking a winner, it's also about avoiding the losers in the 160-rider race. So that's why we wanted to share pieces of advice for each — as in which bettor to take and which one to outright avoid. Here's what we're thinking:
Avoid Betting This Cyclist
We're actually surprised Van Aert is the betting favorite — and +200 better than the next-best cyclist. Yes, he won the 2020 race, but his 2023 season has been chaotic. An illness forced Van Aert into missing two weeks of training and he's been in catchup mode ever since. We think that's a huge disadvantage this early in the season when most others are in peak shape, which is why we're skipping out on betting on Van Aert, especially at these odds.
Bet On This Cyclist To Win
Mathieu van der Poel has been filfthy good so far in 2023. He has triumphed at two cyclo-cross events, which earned him gold at UCI World Championships for the 2022-23 campaign. No, Poel hasn't won the San Remo before, but doing so would continue the trend of a new first-time winners so we're confidently backing him here!
How To Watch 2023 Milan-San Remo?
Unless it's the Tour De France, cycling goes underneath the radar in the United States. The sport isn't broadcast on traditional TV networks for sports such as ESPN, FOX, NBC, and so forth. However, that doesn't mean watching the 2023 Milan-San Remo is difficult. No, quite the opposite actually.
The Global Cycling Network offers its GNC+ app. Essentially, it's a streaming app for the sport — loaded with live events, original shows, analysis, and so much more. Sign up for a subscription to catch the San Remo race unfold in real time. If you're inside the US, you'll have to rise early to watch the competition from the start. Obviously, the race is in Italy, which has a large time difference from the US.
How To Bet On 2023 Milan-San Remo?
If you've read this guide all the way down to here, then surely, you're ready to lay a bet or two on the 2023 Milan-San Remo race. The easiest way to do so is by hitting one of the bookmakers listed underneath. They offer all types of cycling bets, and that goes for every single race this season — not just the San Remo. Any one of them could serve as a one-stop shop for betting on the sport.
When selecting one sportsbook to use over another, we strongly suggest reading our latest sportsbook reviews. It covers each site at length, including its betting menu quality, bonuses, customer service, and so much more. Pouring through those reviews will set you on the right track to choosing the best bookmaker for you!
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