Milan-San Remo 2026 set to be the longest edition in five years

The race will again start in Pavia, just outside Milan, as it has since 2024. In fact, Milan has not hosted the start since 2022.

From Pavia, the route heads briefly north towards the Certosa before turning into the hills of the Oltrepò Pavese. It passes through Casteggio, Voghera, Rivanazzano and Salice Terme, then rejoins the historic course at Tortona. Those adjustments account for the extra kilometres in the 2026 edition.

From there, the peloton follows the familiar line over the Passo del Turchino to Genova Voltri and then along the Via Aurelia. 

The coastal run remains unchanged despite weeks of speculation about possible closures after landslides. In January, a slide reportedly sent around 2,000 cubic metres of debris onto the Via Aurelia, blocking the road.

A similar situation unfolded in 2016. After a landslide in Arenzano blocked the Via Aurelia, Milan–San Remo was briefly rerouted onto a nearby stretch of motorway to bypass the affected section.

The finale, though, is exactly as fans expect. The race hits the Capi of Mele, Cervo and Berta before the Cipressa (5.6 km at 4.1% average) and its technical descent back to the SS1. Then comes the Poggio (3.7 km at just under 4%, with ramps up to 8%), topping out 5.6 km from Via Roma.

A rapid, twisting descent drops the riders into San Remo, setting up the final run to the line.

As in recent years, a head to head battle between Tadej Pogačar and Mathieu van der Poel is widely expected, but Filippo Ganna, Wout van Aert and Tom Pidcock cannot be ruled out. It will also be worth watching how UAE Team Emirates-XRG approach the race, with two of Pogačar’s key lieutenants from last year, Tim Wellens and Jonathan Narváez, currently sidelined by injury and unlikely to start this time.