When Alexander Kristoff won Milan-San Remo in 2014, it was raining so cold that organizers scrapped plans to add a pompeiana between the famous Cipressa and Poggio climbs, and the race finished at Lungomare Italo Calvino, making him eight years older, The Norwegian, who is entering the last years of his career with Intermarque Wanti-Gobert Materio, admits that winning La Classissima di Primavera will be difficult.

It is not only the change in course that complicates Milan-San Remo for sprinters. This is especially true for Christophe's former teammate Tadei Pogachar (UAE Team Emirates). The Norwegian was less than convinced of his chances of becoming Tour de France champion when asked during a virtual press conference on Thursday.

"He just won Tirreno and looks stronger than ever, but it will be hard to win in San Remo," Kristoff told Cycling News. 'It's not an easy race and I think he'll struggle to drop everyone on the climbs.'

Pogachar has won all three races he has started this year (UAE Tour, Strade Bianche, and Tirreno Adriatico), but with the Slovenian currently in good form, Kristoff expects Wout Van Art (Jumbo Visma) to win.

"Watching Van Art and Jumbo run, they might look the better side. Pogachar can also finish quite fast.

Christophe's win in Milan-San Remo was his last finish in Lungomare; he was moved from Via Roma in 2008 due to road construction, but stayed on Via Roma after store owners on Via Roma complained that the road closure was hurting their business; since 2015 the race has returned to the famed pavement, which has been graced by the tires of champions such as Eddy Merckx (who holds the record for most Milan-San Remo wins with seven).

Since returning to Via Roma, Christophe said, it has become harder for sprinters to win.

"I feel that the poggio has become very difficult in the last few years. There have been years when several groups have escaped to the final. Last year there was a late attack by (Jasper) Stuyven.

"When I won, it was almost a kilometer longer after the descent from Poggio. This 1km could have been a bit advantageous for a group sprint. Now it's a kilometer shorter, so I have a slightly better chance to hold off [the chase] with a late attack. It is still a very open race and any type of rider can win. You can win from an attack, you can win from a sprint, or you can attack a little bit earlier. I think it's very exciting to have a race that is so open and where so many riders have a chance to win."

Kristoff's record in Milan-San Remo is remarkable. He was on the podium twice, and just off the podium twice more, finishing fourth. Except for the 2020 calendar, which was changed by the pandemic, he has used Paris-Nice as a tune-up race every season. This year, however, he changed it to Tirreno-Adriatico. This is because dozens of riders fell ill during the race in France.

"Last year I got sick after Paris-Nice, so this year I stayed healthy. He was able to use the Italian race to get to know his teammate and fellow sprinter Biniam Girmay. He was the last to lead out in Milano-Torino on Wednesday, where Christophe took a confidence-boosting third place.

"I haven't won many races this year, but I did win one at the Clasica de Almeria and got a couple of podiums. Yesterday I also proved that I have leg speed. We know that if it comes down to a sprint race, we know we can do well. We are confident that we can trust the sprints, but that is not the main issue in the Classic. We need to be there for the sprints. I don't think I'm in bad shape. I felt good yesterday in Tirreno for me, and I hope to go into the Belgian classic with the same feeling on Saturday."

Intermarche, with Gil May, has a solid plan. The Eritrean won the Trofeo Arcadia in Mallorca in January and took silver in the under-23 World Championships in Flanders last year. A punchy climber and sprint specialist, Gilmay is the backup for the final Milan-San Remo race, where Pogachar and Van Aert's teammate Primos Roglic are expected to attack hard on the climbs.

"Poggio, of course, is very difficult to keep up with them, even on the Cipressa," said Van Aert. Vignam is usually a little better at climbing than I am, so I'll give him a free role to survive on the climbs in case I fail to do so." Vinamu is a fast finisher and if we can get him up the climbs, we have a good chance of doing well."

"We can only hope that he is strong enough to manage to hold on in the group, or at least to come back after Poggio. [I think the attack before Poggio was pointless. It is too fast, wastes energy and wastes chances.

Gil May insists that he is only going to Milan-San Remo to learn from his experienced teammates, but he has already proven himself a formidable force in small group sprints. He said the lead group sprint in Milano-Torino was too crowded for him, with too many roundabouts and turns, and Christophe and he lost sight of each other. Saturday would be different.

"Usually the groups aren't as big, so after Poggio it will be a little easier to find each other.

"In every race, in every year, we are making progress step by step. Of course, Milan - San Remo is my first monument. I'm still learning."

"It's really great for me to be in Milano-Sanremo as a teammate with Alex. He already won in 2014 and has been in the top 10 many times. We ran together not only in Milano-Sanremo, but also in Milan-Torino. I have a lot of experience with him, so it's really good for me."