The Key To Milan Sanremo

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP Oh boy, we are just days away from Milan Sanremo. La Primavera, the first monument of the season, La Classicissima - whatever you want to call it - this race is guaranteed action every single year. This month’s episode of Life In The Peloton is an absolute bumper sized deep dive into this perfect bike race from the people who know it better than anyone. We’ve got previous winners, podium finishers, and passionate riders that dedicate their season to this race - plus experts who know the history of this monumental affair better than anyone. We kick off with some context from master stat man - Dr Cillian Kelly. He teaches me a thing or two about the history of this race, where it sits compared to the other monuments, and why it is - statistically - the perfect bike race. Next, a guy who is possibly the most passionate person on earth about Sanremo; Max Sciandri. Max raced MSR 13 times as a professional, and has driven the race as a sports director at least the same number of times. His best finish as a rider was an agonising 4th place behind Colombo in 1996, but he dedicated his career to trying to win this beautiful race. Is there anyone who knows the 300 odd kilometers between Milan and Sanremo better than Max? I don’t think so. OK That’s the cruisy first 150km of the ep - now we’re over the Turchino and onto the coast for the build up to the finale; it’s time to hear from some riders. John Degenkolb, Matt Goss, Heinrich Haussler, and Michael Matthews. If you know Sanremo, you know that these guys are total legends of the race. Between the 4 of them they’ve got 2 wins, 4 podiums, and 5 other top 10 placings. What’s the key to getting up there on the Via Roma? These guys will tell you. Guys, this is an episode I’m so excited about because it really feels like it takes you inside the Peloton. I only raced San Remo 2 times in my pro career, so talking to these guys who are so experienced in and passionate about this beautiful, iconic race was really eye opening. This ep will take you from your first espresso of the day right through to your evening aperitivo and tell you everything you need to know about the first monument of the season to get you hyped up for the weekend. I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed putting it together. Cheers, Mitch This episode is sponsored by JOIN Cycling . Train smarter with adaptive plans and efficient workouts. Maximise progress, avoid overtraining, and seamlessly connect with favourite apps and devices. Perfect for cyclists of all levels. For 30 Days JOIN Cycling FREE, head across to join.cc/litp A reminder too that we’ve started a new chapter for Life in the Peloton on Substack . It’s a home for deeper stories, longer thoughts, and conversations that don’t have to fit into an hour-long pod — from Tom Southam’s Director’s Cuts to my own Pelo Journal. Some of it’s always free, and if you want a bit more, the paid membership is really just like shouting Tom or me a pint once a month to help keep Life in the Peloton rolling:

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The Key To Milan Sanremo is an episode from Life in the Peloton, presented by Rapha by Mitch Docker.

This episode is 95:34 long.

This episode was published on Mar 18, 2026.

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