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Friday, March 20, 2009 Saxo Bank ready for Milan-Sanremo by VeloNation Press at 4:48 PM EST   comments Categories: Pro Cycling, Spring Classics, Press Release   On Saturday, 21st of March, the 100th edition of the Milan-Sanremo is due with the participation of Team Saxo Bank, but without Fabian Cancellara as defending winner of 2008. The one-day race is both the first and longest of the spring classics with the entire 294 kilometres long race between Milan and Sanremo in the North Western part of Italy. With this kind of distance the race is favoring only the most enduring riders in the peloton and the riders with the most training kilometers after the winter break. The race profile resembles a treat for the fastest sprinters, but several times throughout history the sprinters have been overruled by riders with great stamina in the final kilometres and riders that after the grueling distance are able to put a decisive move on the last two ascends, Cipressa and Poggio di Sanremo. Team Saxo Banks Fabian Cancellara won last year's edition of the race by going solo after an explosive attack on the last kilometers. Unfortunately, Cancellara is not in the peloton in this anniversary edition of "La classica di Primavera" due to family reasons and his recent training crash, which has set him back in relation to his form. But Team Saxo Bank can play quite a few cards in varying terrains, and thus the team comes to Milan with several potential winners: Kurt-Asle Arvesen, Matti Breschel, Frank Høj, Andy Schleck, Karsten Kroon, Stuart O'Grady and Marcus Ljungqvist instead of Fabian Cancellara, "We come with a very strong team in the first of the Classics. They all just finished stage races in Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico, where the speed was at a very high pace, so they're all going very fast at the moment”, says Team Saxo Banks participating sports director, Torsten Schmidt, adding: We must clearly try to go on the two ascends towards the end of the race”.       comments Follow @Pro_Cycling Tweet Subscribe via RSS or daily email Contact the editor about this article