Sunday marks the official start of spring in the northern hemisphere, and this year Milan-San Remo is blessed with mild weather and easterly tailwinds, making it seem as if spring is already here for the classic La Primavera.

With no snow like in 2013, the Turchino climb was cut from the course and riders were bussed to the Ligurian coast to start again. Instead, the flowers of San Remo bloom, the sun turns the Mediterranean blue, and spectators, freed from the two-year COVID-19 restriction, cheer the riders from the roadside.

This morning, the temperature was only 8°C as the racers gathered at the starting point in the shadow of the legendary Vigorelli Velodrome and the skyscrapers of Milan's City Life district. But the racers were pleased to know that temperatures would rise throughout the day and that the race would be held in dry conditions.

After a southerly ride through the Lombardy Plain to Pavia and Tortona, the 24-km gradual climb of the Passo del Turchino was followed by a tailwind.

As the riders descend into Genoa and ride along the Mediterranean coast, they will notice warmer temperatures, brighter sun, and true spring-like conditions. The Italian weather forecast calls for sunny skies and temperatures of 17°C in San Remo, with a 25 km/h tailwind for the remaining 100 km along the Ligurian coast.

The 293-km, nearly seven-hour race should still see high speeds averaging 45 km/h.

The tailwind along the coast will suit attackers like Tadej Pogachar, Wout Van Aert, and Filippo Ganna. They will arrive fresh at the end of the race and will climb the headlands along the coast and over the tops of the Cipressa and Poggio.

Headwinds usually delay or prevent attacks. A tailwind will help the attack on the high, exposed paths of the Cipressa.

A tailwind allows sprinters to run easily for most of the day, but they must run hard and fast to chase wind-driven attacks with their teammates.

The climb up Poggio is often decisive in Milan-San Remo, so even if Pogachar and his UAE Team Emirates team have already been forced to split and select in Poggio, attacks will surely be launched.

The early part of the poggio, the 2 km to the Chapel of Madonna della Guardia, will be in an easterly wind, but the last 1.7 km will be in a tailwind.

After the famous sharp turn to begin the descent down Poggio, the rest of the way is an uphill road lined with greenhouses, a 2 km refuge to San Remo, and the finish on the gentle Via Roma in the center of town.

The tailwind means that the 2022 Milan-San Remo will be an all-day race of big gear and big power.

"It's going to be really fast up to the climbs, and the climbs will be even faster because there's no headwind.

The forecast seemed to inspire Pogachar to plan an attack on Chipressa and boost his spirits after suffering from a cold for several days.

"An attack on Chipressa would be suicide. If you're good enough, you can clear it," he suggested mischievously.

"For the last few years it has been an impossible mission. In modern cycling, attacks from long distances are very common. Perhaps we will see that in Milan-San Remo."