Milan – San Remo, “The Spring classic”, is an annual cycle race between Milan and Sanremo. It is the longest professional one-day race at 298 km. The first was in 1907, when Lucien Petit-Breton won. Today it is one of the ‘Monuments’ of European cycling, and results contribute towards the UCI World Ranking; until 2007 it was part of the UCI ProTour. From 1999 to 2005, a women’s race, the Primavera Rosa was organised alongside the men’s but at a shorter distance. Milan – San Remo is often called the sprinters’ classic while its sister Italian race the Giro di Lombardia held in autumn is the climbers’ classic.
