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You know the season has really started when the pro peloton lines up in Milan to make the very long journey to the coast and the finish line in San Remo. This Saturday the top classics riders will battle it out in the first big appointment of the season. The 291-kilometer route is identical to last year’s, with the Poggio crested with 5.4 kilometers remaining and the finish on Via Roma. Last year, Michal Kwiatkowski, Peter Sagan and Julian Alaphilippe attacked on the Poggio. Following a brilliant descent, the race came down to a thrilling three-up sprint, with Kwiato taking the win (see video below). Though the race is often viewed as a sprinters’ classic, the finale with the climbs of the Cipressa and Poggio provides opportunities for punchy climbers, northern classics riders and breakaway specialists to try to escape the sprinters. THE HISTORY Milan-San Remo, also called “The Spring Classic” or “La Classicissima,” marks the real start of the classics season and is the first Monument of the year. With the first official edition held in 1907, Milan-San Remo has a long history, and it is one of the few races to retain its long distance of almost 300 ...

––– THE CONTEST HAS FINISHED – The winners can be found here ––– It’s quiz time. This week we’re bringing you an extra-hard edition in honor of Milan-San Remo, the first monument of the season, which takes place on Saturday. And it looks to be another action-packed edition, with last year’s victor Michal Kwiatkowski having secured overall victory at Tirreno-Adriatico on Tuesday following the final-stage time trial. The 2014 road race world champion showed that he’s ready to defend his Milan-San Remo title on Via Roma this weekend. To celebrate the first Monument of the year, we have decided to give away two Sanremo 3.2 Speedsuits. Entering is easy and open to all Castelli Newsletter subscribers. If you know the answers to the below questions, send us your answers and contact details by email to contest@castelli-cycling.com. Don’t forget to include ‘Sanremo Speed Suit Contest‘ in your email subject line. Remember, you can find all the buildup and behind-the-scenes action in our Instagram and Facebook feeds. DO YOU KNOW THE ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS? 1.   The Sanremo Speed Suit was inspired by the Sanremo finish line back in 2009. What’s the name of the Castelli-equipped rider who was second to Mark Cavendish by a heartbreaking 3 ...

The white gravel roads of Tuscany and the grueling ups and downs of the route make it sapping next to the northern Classics despite its shorter distance. The one-day race is perhaps one of the most evocative races in world cycling and being relatively new to the calendar has quickly become a fans’ favorite. The 2018 edition had added drama with it. However, the course was turned into a mud bath by the rain, snow, and cold in the days up to the race. Two times winner of the race, Michal Kwiatkowski said that the race was “one of the toughest races I’ve ever done” after riding 184km of treacherous terrain with variable weather conditions throughout. And it was not to be Team Sky’s day as Tiesj Benoot (Lotto Soudal) was the first rider to enter Piazza del Campo crossing the line covered in dirt and wearing a haggard expression that epitomized why this race is so well loved. Enjoy the stunning pictures from a freezing cold and muddy Strade Bianche 2018 edition that will live long in the memory. Photos by Jered and Ashley Gruber

This weekend will see the start of the cobbled semi-classic races when the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and the Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne take place on Saturday and Sunday respectively. Both of these Belgian classics, just like all the others, are renowned for their harsh racing conditions: cold wet weather, wind, small roads, cobbled climbs and a big bunch. The opening cobbled Classic of the year is a moment of great excitement for cycling fans. The Belgian fans will be out in force as the strongmen gauge their form ahead of a key part of the season. To celebrate, we have decided to give away one pair of Omloop Thermal Bibshorts to 3 lucky owners of a Perfetto or Gabba Jersey.   HOW TO PARTICIPATE Upload your best on-bike photo to Facebook or Instagram wearing a Castelli Perfetto or Gabba product and include #omloopthermalshort or #omloopbibshort to show us you’re a true cyclist! We’ll feature the winning entries in our Instagram or Facebook feed on March 1st, 2018. CONTEST RULES 1. Follow @castellicycling on Instagram and Facebook 2. Post a NEW on-bike photo or REGRAM an old one showing us how much you like your Perfetto or Gabba jersey. 3. Use the hashtag #omloopthermalshort or #omloopbibshort 4. Tag @castellicycling in the photo 5. This contest begins at 12:00 a.m. Central European ...

When I see this on my training schedule, I know it’s going to be one of those days. I will go training for a maximum of two hours and come home broken. Even though it is hard, I also know it is one of my go to sessions to get ready for racing. Due to illness and injury I did not make worlds selection and as it is important to me to end this season on a positive note I decided to skip the January world cups and instead go on a training camp to get fit for the last cyclocross races of the season in Belgium in February. So I did this session twice while in the last block leading up to the races. What does 15-15-15 mean; 15 seconds sprinting, followed by 15 seconds maintaining the speed, followed by a 15 second rest. Do this for 10 minutes, have a 10 minutes break and do it again. I usually do this 4-5 times, so it simulates the length of a cyclocross race. What I like about this session is that it is very versatile and yet very specific. And as a bonus, you can do it both on ...