Milan-Sanremo only explodes after the Poggio: Longo Borghini caught in the final meters, Wiebes wins her first monument

Lorena Wiebes has won Milan-Sanremo. The European champion from SD Worx-Protime proved to be the strongest after a thrilling finale. Elisa Longo Borghini was caught in the final meters, after which Wiebes perfectly finished the job set up by world champion Lotte Kopecky. Marianne Vos finished second, ahead of Noemi Ruëgg.

After a twenty-year absence, the news finally came last year: Milan-Sanremo would return to the women's calendar. The finale would be the same as the men's, giving the women a new Monument. It led to a wonderfully tense buildup to La Primavera Donne: every rider could feel the energy, the stress, and the pressure rising. Even a veteran like Marianne Vos got butterflies.

The start in Genoa once again showed how unpredictable spring weather can be in Italy. The women embarked on a very wet adventure, but as the day went on, conditions improved. And with the first edition in years, you knew many riders would be hoping to make it into the breakaway. But the peloton didn’t let anyone go easily: the group stayed together for a long time. Only at 85 kilometers from the finish did someone manage to break free—and that was Dutch rider Anne Knijnenburg (Volkerwessels).

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Knijnenburg goes on a solo adventure

The Dutch rider had already tried to jump away earlier but wasn’t given any room. This time, she was, and so she began a promising solo breakaway. Two Italian riders attempted to bridge across, but the 23-year-old was too strong. She stayed out front alone until the Capi came into view. The first real climbs of the day caused the pace to shoot up, and after the first climb, the Capo Berta, Knijnenburg’s solo was over.

A nasty crash shook up the peloton on the narrow streets along the coast. Among those involved were favorite Elisa Balsamo from Lidl-Trek and Norwegian champion Mie Ottestad (Uno-X Mobility). Fortunately, Balsamo got back on her bike quickly and was able to rejoin the race. The peloton continued toward the finale after conquering the Capi, but the tension remained high. First, Silke Smulders (Liv Jayco AlUla) crashed, and shortly after, a major crash at the front split the bunch. Among those caught up were Letizia Paternoster, also from Jayco, and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma | LaB).

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Cipressa descent breaks up the peloton

Vos was also held up, but the two former world champions from the Dutch team quickly made it back. On the Cipressa, the pace immediately picked up. It didn’t cause too many casualties, but Olympic champion Kristen Faulkner (EF Education - Oatly) was forced to drop. About 40 riders reached the top, followed by the tricky descent. Ferrand-Prévot pushed hard there, splitting the peloton in two. Most of the favorites made the front group—but not Vos. The second group had to chase, but the cooperation at the front wasn’t ideal.

So the bunch hit the Poggio mostly intact. Things stayed quiet for a while until Juliette Labous launched an attack. Everyone was expecting Demi Vollering, but it was the French champion who made the first move. She was quickly countered by Kasia Niewiadoma, but it was Vollering who led the descent. A group of about fifteen riders remained, descending together. None of them managed to open a meaningful gap.

That meant it all came down to the chaos after the Poggio—and it was Elisa Longo Borghini who attacked immediately. She blasted away and quickly opened a gap. Behind her, things stalled momentarily until Kopecky took responsibility for the chase: Lorena Wiebes was still in the group. The final kilometer was nerve-wracking. Longo Borghini was caught just in time, and Wiebes narrowly outsprinted Vos, who had started her sprint early.

Results Milan-Sanremo women 2025

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