# Milan–San Remo Women

The Milan–San Remo Women, officially the Milano–San Remo Donne, is an elite women's professional one-day road bicycle race, held as part of the UCI Women's World Tour. The race is a female version of Milan–San Remo, being organised on the same day and finishing in Sanremo shortly before the men but racing over a shorter distance. The men's race is considered to be one of the most prestigious one-day events in cycling.

## History

Milan–San Remo is one of cycling's oldest races (being first held in 1907), and considered to be one of the most prestigious one-day events in cycling. Held in early March, the race is the longest professional one-day race on the men's calendar, with a distance just under 300 kilometres (190 mi). The race is considered a sprinters classic because of its mainly flat course (although the Poggio climb close to the finish has often been an opportunity for puncheurs and rouleurs).

### Primavera Rosa

In 1999, a women's edition of the race was held for the first time under the name Primavera Rosa, as part of the UCI Women's Road Cycling World Cup. The start was not in Milan, but in Varazze, before finishing in Sanremo. 6 editions of the race were held, before the race was cancelled by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) prior to the 2006 edition. Russian Zoulfia Zabirova was the only rider to win the race twice, in 2003 and 2004.

### Milano–San Remo Donne

In the late 2010s and early 2020s, major classic cycling races began staging women's editions – such as Liège–Bastogne–Liège Femmes (first held in 2017) and Paris–Roubaix Femmes (first held in 2021).
In 2022, RCS Sport – organisers of the men's race – stated that they planned to organise a women's edition of Milan–San Remo in the future. Riders welcomed this, with Italian rider Marta Cavalli stating that she "would love to play out a big fight with all the riders from the WorldTour on the Poggio". In 2023, RCS Sport announced that a women's edition would be held from 2024. Following the announcement, multiple world champion Annemiek van Vleuten expressed her desire that the race "should be the longest one-day race ever for women's cycling" with a distance of around 200 kilometres (120 mi), beyond the maximum race distance of 160 kilometres (99 mi) set by the UCI.
In October 2024, the 2025 UCI Women's World Tour calendar was announced, with Milano–San Remo Donne to take place on the same day as the men's race. To accommodate the race, the prestigious and long-standing Trofeo Alfredo Binda race shifted its date on the calendar. Following the announcement, Kasia Niewiadoma stated that the race would "raise the level even higher" in women's cycling. In March 2024, the route was announced, with a start in Genoa.

## Route

The route of the race heads towards Sanremo along the coastal road with the spectacular scenery of the Ligurian Coast. In San Lorenzo al Mare, the course turns inwards to the Cipressa (5.6 km in length, average gradient of 4.1%), with its top at 22 km from the finish. After the towns of Santo Stefano al Mare and Arma di Taggia comes the last and most famous climb, the Poggio di Sanremo (3.7 km in length, average gradient 3.6%). From the top of the Poggio, 5.4 km from the finish, the course heads down via a fast and curvy descent towards the center of Sanremo, where the race finishes on the Via Roma, the city's illustrious shopping street.
The 1999 to 2005 editions of the race were around 120 kilometres (75 mi) in length, starting in Varazze and finishing in Sanremo. The 2025 edition of the race will start in Genoa, with a race distance of exactly 160 kilometres (99 mi).

## Past winners

| Year | Country | Rider | Team |
| 1999 | Italy | Sara Felloni [it] | Acca Due O |
| 2000 | Lithuania | Diana Žiliūtė | Acca Due O - Lorena Camicie |
| 2001 | Sweden | Susanne Ljungskog | Vlaanderen–T Interim Ladies Team |
| 2002 | Netherlands | Mirjam Melchers-van Poppel | Team Farm Frites–Hartol |
| 2003 | Russia | Zoulfia Zabirova | Prato Marathon Bike |
| 2004 | Russia | Zoulfia Zabirova | Let's Go Finland |
| 2005 | Germany | Trixi Worrack | Equipe Nürnberger Versicherung |