Sawt Falasteen - Red-hot Pogacar gunning for Milan-San Remo

Double Tour de France winner Pogacar is the biggest name in a crowded field of cycling stars for 'La Classicissima', the year's first Monument race which heralds the arrival of Spring.

He is one-for-one this year after an incredible win at the Strade Bianche in his season debut earlier this month.

The 25-year-old blew away the competition in Tuscany with a solo attack with 81 kilometres remaining, and all eyes will be on him on his return to action.

Pogacar has a great record racing in Italy, winning the Strade Bianche and Tirreno-Adriatico twice and claiming victory in each of the last three editions of the season-closing Il Lombardia classic.

He is also taking on the Giro d'Italia grand tour for the first time this year.

This season the race starts in the town of Pavia, which is roughly 30 kilometres south of Milan, and takes riders 288km from the plains of Lombardy to the Italian Riviera.

"The finish is not too far from where I live in Monaco so I know the last part of the race and the final climbs quite well," said Pogacar after his UAE team announced their squad for the race.

"As we've seen before, this race is one of the most difficult to win and can end in many outcomes. For sure we will make a plan and put ourselves in the best position possible. It's a race we'd dearly love to win."

Pogacar was also tipped to win last year's Milan-San Remo but he was bested by Mathieu van der Poel, who stuck with the Slovene star's solo attack on the final Poggio climb before surging away with his own counter-attack.

Alpecin-Deceuninck rider Van der Poel will defend his title on Saturday and is a good pick to claim it for a second straight year if the race doesn't end in a mass bunch sprint on via Roma.

There has been no classic sprint finish in any of the last eight editions of Milan-San Remo, the last sprinter to win the race Arnaud Demare in 2016.

Should the race return to its roots there will be a clutch of pacey riders jostling for position including Olav Kooij, Mads Pedersen, Jonathan Milan and Jasper Philipsen.

Italian rider Filippo Ganna finished second in last year's race as Pogacar was shaken off by faster finishers on the home stretch.

W.AbuLaban--SF-PST