The 2022 Milan-San Remo has kicked off, with athletes starting the 293-km race from the historic Vigorelli stadium.

Poor health has plagued the peloton in recent weeks, with several leading riders absent before La Classissima. However, despite the absence of Jasper Steuben, Julian Alaphilippe, and Caleb Yuan, many big names gathered in Milan before the long day.

Ahead of the Milan-San Remo race, which is expected to be aggressive, there was much talk about illness, the possibility of long-distance attacks on the Cipressa, team tactics, and the potential of the sprinters.

In cycling news, Stephen Farrand and Barry Ryan reported on the race. Taddei Pogachar, Wout Van Art, Mathieu Van Der Pol, Primosz Roglic, and other big names in racing spoke at Vigorelli.

"I've only run it once, but it's one of the biggest races in the world. I'm really happy to start

"I would love to leave them behind in Chipressa, but we all know that is quite difficult. We need to see how the race goes. Our team and our riders are hoping for a hard race."

"We are not thinking about Wout (van Aert) falling, but I think it is difficult for any sprinter to fall here. We need to commit 100% to our plan and try to execute it 100%."

"What exactly is the plan? Obviously it is a hard and attacking race, but I can't be specific.

"[I got the call] actually two days ago. I came back from training and the team called me a couple of times."

"Gianni [Vermeersch] got sick and this morning Robert Stannard was gone. It was a difficult decision because normally I would have restarted with Coppi e Bartali. But after a while I decided to try my hand without feeling any pressure."

"For me there is also a question mark over my form. I feel pretty good in training, but training is not racing. It's how you feel in the end. I have a free role again today, so we'll see how the race unfolds."

"[My back] is pretty okay. After all the hard training I still feel something. It's not holding me back anymore, so I hope it keeps going in the right direction."

"I hope (I'm) feeling better. I got to spend a few days with my family. It's what I wanted after a tough week.

"(The riders who left due to illness) might change a bit, but there are still a lot of good riders left. It is strange to have a sick rider in the group, but on the other hand it is a monument and the team will replace them with other strong riders. [San Remo is] very long and fast, but it's also a boring race until you hit Capi and Cipressa. After that it is always really hard. Sometimes it looks like nothing is happening, but the pace is already very fast. So you either get attacked or you are already suffering."

"I'm still a little sore from the cobblestones. I'm not really used to it. There won't be cobblestones, but it's a super nervous final and it's going to be a big, fast fight."

"[We'll see in the race (about recovery). When I'm not doing anything, I'm fine. Of course I'm tired, but it's a long race and I need good legs to stay in the final."

"To be able to give something back to Wout, you need to run very long distances and be super good.

"I'm happy to be here. I'm here now and I'm in good shape.

"I think as a cyclist sometimes you have to change your mentality as fast as you can and be ready as fast as possible. [39] [40] "After I got the call on Thursday evening, I had to 'switch on' and focus on the race. The first time I competed in Monument I had a good result.

"Van Aert beats him in a sprint and Pogachar tries to follow him on the climb. [For me], I'll follow him and then sprint."

"It's a really good race today; it's 300 kilometers. You don't get to do this every weekend, so it's really special. Of course, San Remo is a really important race, but I have failed to win here. I've been in good positions a few times, but I haven't been able to win. I have high expectations, but as I said before, like many of the Paris-Nice racers, I wasn't in good shape and I got sick, so I'm realistic about my chances. I just wasn't able to start in the best condition."

"A lot of racers are out of shape, but a lot of them are running really fast. We expect a fast race, especially along the coast because of the tailwind

"It's not like other races where you have to mingle with the general public. There are only a few people in Capo Verta. Only a few people are in Capo Verta, and that's pretty much it. People who live there go out, but they don't come to watch the race. It's a different atmosphere."

"I'm fine. Being at the start already seems almost unusual. I feel better after Tirreno, so I'm fine. I don't think I'm one of the favorites to win, but I can play my cards right."

"Like I said, it's my favorite race and I want to enjoy the day first. I will do my best in the final. It's obvious that some people are going to attack and as a sprinter I'll try to come back as fast as possible."

"I think they will attack and hopefully we can see each other and come back from behind.

"I'm still trying to recover from my crash in Strade. I got to the start line. It's a good sign that I'm on the start line [a lot of sprinters seem to be out of shape. Without the sprinter teams controlling the race, it could be more explosive. You never know what can happen. Especially in this race. With so many riders missing, anything can happen. The cards get turned over."

"We'll see what happens. I think we need to be with them as they go into the climb and see what we can do at the finish."

"I'm feeling good. It's a beautiful day. Milan-San Remo was rainy and cold, so I like this kind of weather better. It's going to be a good Saturday."

"The first thing is to eat and drink until Chipressa. The race starts there

"I think everything will be decided there [Cipressa and Poggio].

"I think the cipressa is always super important. I think it's going to be a super fast race, both for position and for the downhill with the tailwind. So I think it will be an interesting race. It's a little bit disappointing that we don't have everybody, but we have a strong group of people that can have a good race.

"We'll try to stay with them as long as possible, keep a good position and try not to lose too much energy. That will be the key to a good result in Sanremo."

"I am happy to be back in the race. We had some problems in the preparation phase, but now I'm finally ready to race.

"You have to be resourceful depending on the situation and obviously Tom is one of the guys who can make the difference in the most difficult parts of Poggio and take the overall win.

"We need to look at the situation in Chipressa, after Chipressa, and in Poggio and make it count to make a difference in the final.

"Of course, I'm pretty excited. I'm looking forward to it. It's my first time at Monument, so it's special. I think now is the time.

"It's the same for everyone. You have to see it, you have to see it, it's after 250 km and you have to see how your legs are."[38] [39] [40] "I'm looking forward to it. You find that with Cipressa and Poggio.

"Definitely, the team will get me in a good position down there. Between Cipressa and Poggio, if I'm too far off, I might be able to close the gap. After Poggio it's only two kilometers to the finish line. Then we'll see if I can sprint down the Via Roma."

"If you look at the list of winners in this race, there are some big sprinters.