The wind will decide the script of the Milan-San Remo 2026: less Cipressa, more Poggio

The Milan-San Remo 2026 is set to be the stage for a new Van der Poel versus Pogacar showdown, but this edition could be marked by the wind. And everything points to the fact that this year it will play in the opposite direction to what allowed last year's race to have one of the most aggressive developments in recent times.

How the wind would affect the Milan-San Remo 2026

If in 2025 the race broke apart earlier than usual, it was largely due to very specific conditions. The favorable wind on the Ligurian coast pushed the attacks on the Cipressa and allowed that movement to continue all the way to the finish, something extremely uncommon in the recent history of the Classicissima.

But this year, the scenario is very different. The forecasts have been stabilizing in the days leading up to the event and depict a dry day, with mild temperatures around 14 degrees in Sanremo, and above all, with much less influential wind.

Where last year there was a clear tailwind on the Cipressa, now a slight resistance is expected in the key sections, with intensities also quite moderate. It may seem like a minor detail, but in a race like Sanremo, it changes everything.

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The Cipressa, with its gentle slope, depends heavily on speed. When the wind pushes, attacks gain momentum and it is easier to open a gap. When the wind holds back, the opposite happens. The chasing group has the advantage and individual effort loses effectiveness.

This significantly reduces the chances of seeing a successful long-range attack. And the main victim of this change in scenario could be Tadej Pogačar, whose strategy in recent years has been to harden the race from the Cipressa to eliminate rivals before the Poggio.

These wind forecasts suggest a more compact peloton after the Cipressa, with more riders capable of re-entering the race before the final ascent. This would force the Slovenian to rethink his racing style, as repeating the script from 2025 seems much more complicated.

In any case, this will surely not stop Pogacar, but he will need something more than strength for the attack to have continuity.

If these conditions do occur, the race could return to its more traditional development. That is, a still numerous group facing the Poggio di Sanremo as the decisive point.

Riders like Mathieu van der Poel, who already warned that last year's scenario cannot be reproduced without those specific conditions, come out strengthened.

"What happened in 2025 is not something that can be repeated every year. We had the perfect wind on the Cipressa, and also to reach the Poggio. If it had been the opposite, it would have been another story." Van der Poel explained to La Gazzeta before the race.

And in a more controlled race, the Dutchman's ability to respond and finish at the right moment becomes crucial again. Profiles like Ganna or resilient sprinters also benefit, as they depend on the race not exploding too early.

What is clear is that it will once again be an exciting race that we will talk about for days. If you still don't know what time or where to watch it, here we leave you all the information.