Canvassing northern Italy with 199 kilometres of largely flat terrain, a revamped Milano-Torino returns on Wednesday for a match-up of prime sprinters, led by Mark Cavendish (QuickStep-AlphaVinyl).
He’s anticipated to line up in opposition to robust riders in search of their first victories of the season, together with Peter Sagan (Group TotalEnergies), Greg Van Avermaet (AG2R Citroën), and 2013 winner Diego Ulissi (UAE Group Emirates).
Cavendish scored a pair of wins in 2022 at Tour of Oman and UAE Tour to extend his profession take to 158 whole, and he comes off a full week of racing at Tirreno-Adriatico in help of Remco Evenepoel.
It will likely be his first look on the Italian traditional, which has been held within the fall for the previous 35 years, and which has not too long ago been run as a climber’s race.
“Mark Cavendish might be our card for this Wednesday and he’ll rely on a robust squad to guard and assist him combat for an excellent consequence,” stated Davide Bramati, sports activities director for QuickStep-AlphaVinyl.
Returning to the squad for his first race of the season might be Rémi Cavagna, the reigning French highway race champion who suffered a fractured L1 vertebra when he was hit by a driver throughout a journey at a coaching camp in Spain final December.
He had profitable surgical procedure 5 days after the incident, which additionally concerned teammate Mauri Vansevenant, who suffered a damaged thumb.
“We’re very joyful that Rémi is again after his unlucky crash throughout the coaching camp, we missed him. It will likely be for the primary time that he pins on a quantity this yr and having him once more with us it’s an enormous morale-boost,” added Bramati.
Finishing the seven-rider roster for Milano-Torino might be Mattia Cattaneo, Dries Devenyns, Michael Mørkøv, Pieter Serry and Louis Vervaeke.
Each Cavendish and Mørkøv crashed on stage 4 of the UAE Tour final month after they had been touring at excessive pace within the peloton passing by a roundabout and crossing over a concrete pace bump, designed to sluggish autos. Cavendish hit the deck hardest on his proper shoulder and likewise banged his head, however handed concussion protocol after the stage. He and Mørkøv accomplished the seven-day race.
Milano-Torino is now thought of preparation for the season’s opening Monument, Milan-San Remo, which might be held on Saturday. First held in 1876 and laying declare to the world’s oldest bicycle race, Milano-Torino returns to a spring time slot for the primary time since 1987, the place it was positioned days after the UCI Highway World Championships.
