The Milan-Sanremo recon ride
Lionel and Simon are in Italy for La Primavera – and yesterday they rode the course. Well, the fun bits
by Lionel Birnie
Photos by Simon Gill
In this week’s episode, Daniel said the finale of Milan-Sanremo was like waiting for a huge tidal wave to wash along the coast before watching it crash over the Poggio, sweeping everything in its path down to the Via Roma.
I had this image in my mind as Simon and I rode the final 100 kilometres of the course (well, 98.6 kilometres, actually). If truth be told our effort lacked the power of a tidal wave and was more like a garden hose that had sprung a leak.
The weather was glorious as bright sunshine took the chill out of the spring air. It’ll be another few weeks before the Italians ditch their winter coats but by the time we reached the Cipressa I was starting to feel a tad overdressed in arm and legwarmers. (Yes, with socks worn unashamedly outside the legwarmers – you’ll have to listen to our forthcoming episode for my explanation).
First impressions were how smooth the roads are – or should I say road, because apart from the deviations to take in the Cipressa and Poggio we were on the Via Aurelia more or less all the way. The Capo Berta, the third of the three capi which serve as a warm-up for the Cipressa, is harder than I remembered. And the Cipressa and Poggio are both glorious to climb, not least because they took us off the main road where we were surrounded by a swarm of Vespas and Piaggios breathing in their fumes.
A relatively new 23-kilometre cycle path running along the coast from Sanremo does offer the chance to get off the road and so if you’re thinking of visiting to ride the climbs there’s the possibility of a very nice loop taking in the famous climbs and keeping off the main road as much as possible.
Simon and I are in Italy to make an episode for Friends of the Podcast. Joining us for the weekend will be Herbie Sykes, an Italian-based journalist, historian and vintage cycling jersey collector as well as author of The Eagle of Canavese, Giro 100, Maglia Rosa and Juve!
Issue with Apple Podcasts
This week’s episode, Jam Tadej, was released on Wednesday but was unavailable to listeners using Apple Podcasts until Friday morning. This was caused by an issue beyond our control. In almost a decade of podcasting I can’t recall a 36-hour interruption like this but Apple’s experts managed to fix it before Daniel had to send his strongly-worded letter of complaint. The episode is available now and in it Daniel and I were joined by Brian Nygaard to discuss Paris-Nice, Tirreno-Adriatico and look ahead to Saturday’s Milan-Sanremo. If it happens again, on any platform, it’s worth knowing you can always listen on our Audioboom page or our own website’s playlist.
The Cycling Podcast on Audioboom
Arrivée returns on Saturday
Who’s going to win Milan-Sanremo? As you know, I try not to indulge in speculation and, of all the Classics, Milan-Sanremo is the one where the list of potential winners can legitimately number a couple of dozen or more. On Saturday afternoon we will know and so once you’ve watched the race, tune in tomorrow evening for our finish line recap of the first Monument of the season. Arrivée is our half-hour summary of the biggest one-day races and it returns for the 2023 spring classics season.
Tour d’Écosse shortlisted for Sports Podcast Award
We were very pleased to hear that the Tour d’Écosse, our 15-part series for Explore, has been shortlisted for the Sports Podcast Awards. We’re in the Wilderness category and the winner will be decided by a listener vote.
To vote, you need to register an account on the Sports Podcast Awards website.
Once registered, we are in the Wilderness category. Voting closes on April 6.
While it’s a bit of a faff to have to create an account, this is to stop spambots or multiple votes from the same person. Simon, Tom and I appreciate every vote.
Science In Sport Strava Challenge starts tomorrow
To mark the arrival of the spring classics, our friends at Science In Sport have launched their Classic 100 Strava Challenge and it starts tomorrow (Saturday, March 18). Ride 100 kilometres before March 31 and you could be in the velodrome to see the finish of Paris-Roubaix. There’s also a 20% discount at scienceinsport.com for everyone who completes the challenge. See the Strava challenge page for all terms and conditions and enjoy your rides.