All eyes will be on Via Roma this Saturday afternoon to see who will be crowned the king of Milano – Sanremo, the first Monument of the season, and the longest one-day race on the cycling calendar.
For NSN Cycling Team, the almost-300-kilometer race from Pavia to the Ligurian coastal town of Sanremo presents an exciting opportunity to play multiple cards with the likes of Biniam Girmay and Corbin Strong returning to the race, both of whom have a previous best result of 12th place and return hungry for more.
“We are looking forward to Milano – Sanremo with confidence in our leaders and the team around them,” explains Head Sports Director Sam Bewley. “It’s obviously a long race with some complexities, but this Monument is especially exciting for us as we know that it suits our riders’ characteristics well, especially Corbin and Biniam.”
With the action always kicking off in the final hour of racing, against the backdrop of the Cipressa and Pogio climbs, Milano – Sanremo is a race defined by patience and ultimately, who has the best legs.
“It’s always special to line up at a Monument and especially one like Milano – Sanremo, which is the Monument most suited to me,” adds Biniam. “There’s not much to say about the race, really. I mean, there are no surprises or secrets to it. It’s all about having the legs in the finale after a very long day of racing. I’ve had a good start to the year and hope that with the tough racing at Paris-Nice in my legs, I’ll be in even better shape on Saturday. We have a strong team with different cards to play, so I’m excited to get to the start line.”
For Strong, he is excited to continue his Italian racing block, having recorded two top-15 finishes at Tirreno Adriatico before illness forced him to abandon on the morning of the penultimate stage.
“I look forward to Sanremo every year and the way it has been raced the past years suits me well,” adds Strong.
“My shape was good during Tirreno, and I’ve bounced back from my sickness well. I’m optimistic we can aim for a top result with myself or Bini.”
Behind Strong and Girmay, there is a strong engine room made up of Lewis Askey, Pier-André Côté, Krists Neilands, Nick Schultz, and Dion Smith, all of whom bring experience and will be tasked with positioning the team’s sprinters in the crucial run into the Cipressa and Poggio.
NSN Cycling Team at Milano – Sanremo (Saturday 21 March)
Riders: Lewis Askey (GBR), Pier-André Côté (CAN), Biniam Girmay (ERI), Krists Neilands (LAT), Nick Schultz (AUS), Dion Smith (NZL), Corbin Strong (NZL)
Sports Directors: Sam Bewley (NZL), Francesco Frassi (ITA), Dror Pekatch (ISR)