For a major one-day Classic with a hilly finale, Milan-San Remo offers a real opportunity for fast-finishing riders – and they often take it. That's true of the men's race and, as of last year, the women's race too – which, confusingly, is being called Milan-San Remo Donne or San Remo Women, depending on whether you consult the UCI or organiser RCS.
In what was a renaissance following a 20-year hiatus for the women's edition, sprint queen Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Pro Time) tracked the world's best climbers over the Cipressa, and then the Poggio, before beating them soundly on the Via Roma.
Just as the men's peloton finds itself scratching its head in the quest to beat Tadej Pogačar, the women, in a race like this at least, know they need to get creative if they are to vanquish an in-form Wiebes on Saturday. The 27-year-old Dutch rider has won four of the seven races she has started so far this season, and if she can get over the double punch of those two final climbs with the leaders, it's hard to see her being beaten in the flat run to the line.
There are other fast riders of course. Second last year, Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) was set to be one of Wiebes's biggest challengers as a fast finisher herself, but she is no longer riding having returned home to be with her father, who is ill. Others who look as though they could take on Wiebes on the 'Via Roma' include quick young Brit Cat Ferguson (Movistar), though she may find getting over the climbs with the favourites – including Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez) and Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Pro Time), who were fourth and ninth last year – a stretch too far.
The women's race begins at 10.40 CET on Saturday. If you're interested in streaming it or finding it on TV, check out our How to Watch guide, which will be up on our site from 8am GMT on the morning of the race.
Milan-San Remo Donne 2026 start list
AG Insurance-Soudal
Kim Le Court-Pienaar
Justine Ghekiere
Mireia Benito
Letizia Borghesi
Alexandra Manly
Nicole Steigenga
Canyon-SRAM-zondacrypto
Chiara Consonni
Tiffany Cromwell
Rosa Maria Kloser
Kasia Niewiadoma
Soraya Paladin
Agnieszka Skalniak-Sójka
EF Education-Oatly
Noemi Ruegg
Solbjork Minke Anderson
Henrietta Christie
Stina Kagevi
Cédrine Kerbaol
Alice Towers
FDJ United-SUEZ
Juliette Berthet
Célia Gery
Vittoria Guazzini
Eva Van Agt
Jade Wiel
Ally Wollaston
Human Powered Health
Thalita De Jong
Carlotta Cipressi
Katia Ragusa
Nina Buijsman
Titia Ryo
Marit Raaijmakers
Lidl-Trek
Elisa Balsamo
Margot Vanpachtenbeke
Ricarda Bauernfeind
Lucinda Brand
Niamh Fisher-Black
Riejanne Markus
Liv AlUla Jayco
Monica Trinca Colonel
Ruby Roseman-Gannon
Letizia Paternoster
Matilde Vitillo
Josie Talbot
Ella Wyllie
Movistar
Cat Ferguson
Arlenis Sierra
Francesca Barale
Olivia Baril
Aude Biannic
Sara Martin
Picnic PostNL
Pfeiffer Georgi
Audrey De Keersmaeker
Juliana Londono
Gaia Masetti
Rachele Barbieri
Josie Nelson
Visma-Lease a Bike
Femke De Vries
Daniek Hengeveld
Sarah Van Dam
Lieke Nooijen
Margaux Vigie
Rosita Reijnhout
UAE Team ADQ
Silvia Persico
Eleonora Camilla Gasparrini
Mavi Garcia
Brodie Chapman
Dominika Włodarczyk
Alena Amialiusik
Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi
Usoa Ostolaza
Alice Maria Arzuffi
Yuliia Biriukova
Arianna Fidanza
Vittoria Ruffilli
Debora Silvestri
Cofidis Women
Ema Comte
Victoire Berteau
Amalie Dideriksen
Spela Kern
Nikola Noskova
Nadia Quagliotto
Mayenne Monbana My Pie
Francesca Hall
Marine Allione
Karolina Perekitko
Kiara Lylyk
Alice Coutinho
Constance Valentin
Aromitalia Vaiano
Rasa Leleivyte
Maya Kingma
Eleonora La Bella
Argiro Milaki
Hanna Tserakh
Valentina Venerucci
Vini Fantini-BePink
Sofia Arici
Andrea Casagranda
Irene Cagnazzo
Fariba Hashimi
Sonia Rossetti
Gaia Segato
SD Worx-Pro Time
Barbara Guarischi
Lotte Kopecky
Blanka Vas
Lorena Wiebes
Linda Zanetti
Anouska Koster
Puck Pieterse
VolkerWessels Cycling
Anneke Dijkstra
Eline Jansen
Esmée Peperkamp
Maud Rijnbeek
Sabrina Stultiens
Bodine Vollering
St Michel-Preference Home-Auber93
Alison Jackson
Émilie Morier
Clara Emond
Heidi Franz
Caroline Wreszin
India Grangier
Isolmant-Premac-Vittoria
Anita Baima
Giulia Bisso
Lara Crestanello
Valeria Curnis
Chantal Pegolo
Valentina Zanzi
Mendelspeck E-Work
Camilla Bezzone
Eleonora Deotto
Nikol Dollaku
Giulia Giuliani
Ilaria Marinetto
Giorgia Serena
Top Girls Fassa Bortolo
Virginia Bortoli
Elisa De Vallier
Sara Luccon
Marta Pavesi
Chiara Reghini
Irma Siri
