Sanremo this year finds its historic day again, March 19, which for decades was a fixed appointment in the calendar of the very classic spring event, until in 1977 the Andreotti government, to make Italians fond of bridges work harder, decided to abolish many midweek holidays including that of St. Joseph.
With its favorite day, this year's Sanremo finds again, if the weather forecasts are correct, even the sun after the bad weather of the last editions, with the snow of 2014 which even caused the race to be interrupted before the Turchino. Rain or shine, the club of super favorites remains restricted to the usual names: Fabian Cancellara is always part of it, who started his last competitive season off to a great start by winning the Strade Bianche and the final time trial of the Tirreno-Adriatico. Spartacus has already won in the city of flowers in 2008, then many placements and podiums. The Poggio and the subsequent steep descent towards via Roma could be the springboard for a spectacular encore of the Swiss champion. Even Peter Sagan dreams of a finale like this, who finished second in Sanremo in 2013 behind the German Gerald Ciolek. The Slovak world champion came close to winning the final in the recent Tirreno-Adriatico beaten by just one second by the Belgian Greg Van Avermaet. It's been since 2009, with Mark Cavendish's victory, that a rainbow jersey hasn't darted before at Sanremo. In the predictions of the bookmakers on the eve of Sagan it is given at 6, preceding, for example, Cancellara himself, behind Alexander Kristoff given at 5. Winner in 2014, second last year when he then won the Tour of Flanders, the Norwegian champion has all the cards to be the super favorite even if he is still far from having the charisma of a Cancellara. Among the most popular is the Australian on duty after the two consecutive successes of the kangaroos with Matthews Goss (2011) and Simon Gerrans (2012): this year all eyes are on Michael Matthews, back from a good Paris-Nice, pink jersey for a few days at the last Giro d'Italia. Van Avermaet has also entered the club of the favorites by right, so far more placings than victories, after having finally scored in the final standings of the Tirreno-Adriatico. He is the rider on whom the hopes of Belgian cycling are based, even though it has a big name like Tom Boonen. But the record holder of Flanders and Roubaix, absolute dominator with Cancellara of the classic-monuments of the North in the last ten years, has had, every (few) times that he has performed in Italy, a strangely walk-on role that contrasts with his story . It really seems that he has taken the boulevard of the sunset. Even if almost completely overlooked by bookmakers, one can always expect the lion's paw from a champion like Boonen. Even Mark Cavendish is not in the top list of favorites after the disappointing performances of recent times. But in a Sanremo without major difficulties, Cannonball's sprint shouldn't be underestimated. Speaking of pure sprinters also the Frenchman Nacer Bouhanni, the king of the sprints in the 2014 Giro with three stage victories, and the Colombian revelation, Fernando Gaviria, three successes at the beginning of the season, born in 1994, could have their say if Poggio there will be no selection.
And the Italians who haven't won the Sanremo since 2006, the triumph of Filippo Pozzato? It will still be Vincenzo Nibali, the beacon of blue cycling, the champion who is certainly the most complete in the race but who does not find traits in the Sanremo route that can enhance its qualities: too flat after the organizers have not only given up on including the Pompeiana but they also eliminated the ascent of the Manie for fear of bad weather. Until Thursday Nibali seemed unwilling to start, strongly annoyed with the organizers of the RCS after the cancellation, predicting snowfall, of the only mountain stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico, a fraction on which the Shark aimed to break the bank and win the race. Then the desire to be there and to fight prevailed. After all, it is he, the only winner of the Giro and of the Tour, who faces Cancellara and the other specialists of the Classicissima. Contador and Froome never showed up around here. Nibali stood third on the Sanremo podium in 2012, third preceded by Gerrans and Cancellara. Last year he gave a show on the Cipressa. Whatever happens, his presence always warms the interest of the race.
Among the absences of riders who would have entered the pool of favorites by right, those of Philippe Gilbert, André Greipel and above all John Degenkolb, the last winner, still recovering after the bad injury in January during a training session at the Alpe- Giant on the Spanish roads of Calpe when a car practically hit six of the German team's riders. Degenkolb who also triumphed in Paris-Roubaix last year risked losing the index finger of his left hand as well as suffering a broken forearm. He will miss the entire spring season of the classics. We will perhaps see him again at the Giro or the Tour.
