Mid-March marks one of the highlights of the cycling calendar: the Spring Classics, a series of one-day races from mid-March to the end of April that caters to a particular breed of cyclist - those who crave grey skies, rough roads and tough climbs. Make bets on cycling at our online sports betting platform.

Bet on Milan San Remo 2023

This year's Milan-San Remo will start inside the Vigorelli velodrome and return to the traditional route with the mid-race climb of Turchino before the thrilling climbs of Cipressa and Poggio reveal the contenders for victory on the Via Roma.

Riding from the capital of Lombardy to the Ligurian coast is not an easy task. The 113th edition of Milan-San Remo will be held on Saturday, March 20, with an official distance of 293 km. To heighten the excitement of this sports event with even more passion, make online sports bets at Bwin.

Bet on one of the longest cycling races

With a distance of 293 km (or about 7 hours in the saddle), this is the longest one-day professional race in modern cycling.

The Milan-San Remo is considered a sprinters' race, but the course profile is not nearly as simple as some would have you believe.

Once past Alessandria, there is a tangible change in topography, and the route begins to climb towards the famous Passo del Turchino. Then the climb to La Manie arrives quickly before the Tre Capi (three peaks).

What comes next requires little introduction. After Cipressa, Poggio is a small town with a great reputation. The legendary climb is often the finale of Milan-San Remo. The most challenging aspect is that it comes after about 300 km of racing, which is why the Poggio is both famous and feared.

The Poggio was added in 1961 in an attempt to hurt the sprinters and give a fighting chance to the 'baroudeurs' or breakaway specialists. The result is arguably the most open and finely balanced classic of the season, where any scenario can occur, producing an intense crescendo finale.

The organizers have tried to add climbs to this phase of the event, but they hardly affect the final result because it is already too late to make a difference.

Live betting on cycling

In the end, the race almost always comes down to the last 30 kilometres where two climbs — the Cipressa and the Poggio — present the ideal opportunity for late-race attacks.

In particular, the Poggio, a small, steep, winding climb offers the last chance for the punchers to break away, and you'll see them taking big risks on its treacherous descent to try to stay in contention. If they fail, any sprinters who can survive the last two climbs will be fighting for the first major win of the season.

For this reason, placing a live sports bet is a good bet to make.