The race still turns on two climbs.
San Remo, March 2026
The Cipressa and the Poggio are once again expected to shape the decisive phase of Milan-San Remo, as the season’s first Monument approaches with the usual tension between attackers, classics specialists and sprinters trying to survive the final climbs. For all the length and complexity of the race, the decisive selection still tends to form in the same narrow window near the end, when positioning, pace and timing become more important than anything that happened earlier in the day.
The Cipressa remains the first major filter in that sequence. It is not steep enough on its own to decide the race every year, but it is often the point where the strongest teams begin to accelerate and where the field starts to fracture. In modern editions, the climb has become increasingly important because riders and teams now hit it at such high speed that it can soften the race before the final move on the Poggio. A hard pace there can eliminate pure sprinters and force contenders into earlier effort than they would prefer.
The Poggio, however, continues to be the true focal point. It comes too close to the finish to allow large strategic resets, which is why it remains the most dangerous place in the race for anyone out of position or slightly off the pace. The climb itself is not especially long or steep by Monument standards, but after nearly 300 kilometers it becomes a launch point for the strongest riders and a final test for anyone hoping to stay in contact before the descent into San Remo.
That is why the race often comes down to two competing scenarios. Either a powerful rider or a small elite group attacks on the Poggio and stays clear through the descent and run-in, or the selection is not decisive enough and the surviving fast finishers re-enter the picture. This year, the balance between those possibilities appears especially sharp because the field includes both explosive classics riders and sprinters who believe they can still survive if the climbs are not ridden at maximum intensity.
The tactical question is whether the Cipressa will be used aggressively enough to make the Poggio more selective. If teams with attacking ambitions raise the pace hard there, the final climb becomes more dangerous because rivals reach it already under strain. If the Cipressa is controlled and the bunch remains too large, the Poggio may still produce attacks, but it becomes harder to create the kind of separation needed to stay away all the way to the line.
That dynamic explains why Milan-San Remo remains one of cycling’s most difficult races to control. It is long enough to exhaust the field, but not hard enough to guarantee that the strongest climber wins. Instead, it rewards timing, race reading and the ability to deliver a decisive effort at exactly the right moment. In that structure, the Cipressa and the Poggio are not just late obstacles. They are the race’s real selection mechanism.
For now, the logic remains unchanged. The road to San Remo may be long, but the Monument is still most likely to be decided on those two ascents. If the Cipressa opens the race, the Poggio will decide whether it ends in attack, pursuit or a reduced sprint.
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