We are officially ready for the first Monument of the year.

Milano Sanremo is this Saturday. It is going to be an absolute blockbuster.

You can catch every single second of the longest one day race on the calendar on FloBikes. Canadian viewers can stream it live and on demand. Make sure your account is ready to go.

The Heavyweights Collide

The biggest showdown this weekend is obvious. It is Mathieu van der Poel versus Tadej Pogačar.

Pogačar wants this win badly. He has been incredibly close a couple of times. He just has not managed to take the victory yet. This is one of only two Monuments he still needs to win. The other is Paris Roubaix.

But Van der Poel has been a massive roadblock for him here over the last few years. The Dutchman has matched his most violent attacks. Still, he knows exactly how dangerous the Slovenian is right now.

Van der Poel knows what is coming.

"Last year he was already very close," Van der Poel said. "If I am one percent off, Tadej will be gone on the Cipressa. It is only a matter of time before he wins that race."

He also pointed out how Pogačar and his UAE team have completely changed the tactics of this Monument.

"In the past, you should not even start looking at the Cipressa," Van der Poel noted. "Tadej and UAE have certainly changed that."

UAE's Luxury Milano-Sanremo 2026 Backup

If Pogačar somehow needs backup, UAE has an incredible plan B.

Isaac Del Toro just won Tirreno Adriatico. Now he is fully ready to support his team leader.

"I have been on Mathieu van der Poel's wheel so often this week, I hope that will help me in Milan Sanremo," Del Toro said about his recent preparation.

He fully embraces his role as a super domestique for Saturday.

"Because Jhonatan Narvaez and Tim Wellens will not be there next week, I want to do my job as a teammate extra well," Del Toro added. "I love being the kind of rider who can switch roles like that."

A Brutal Forecast

We have to talk about the weather. It looks absolutely brutal for Saturday.

The forecast shows cloudy skies and steady rain. The high will only hit 15 degrees Celsius (59°F). There is an 85 percent probability of rain falling on the peloton.

On top of that, the riders will be fighting a nasty wind blowing at 19 kilometers per hour.

A wet and cold Sanremo changes absolutely everything. A slippery descent down the Poggio could easily decide the entire race.