2025 Sanremo Women Race Preview

The first women’s monument of the season is finally here, marking the much-anticipated return of the Sanremo Women—reviving the legacy of the Primavera Rosa after two decades away. From 1999 to 2005, the Primavera Rosa was a landmark race, won by some of the era’s best riders, before disappearing abruptly from the calendar. Now, with women’s cycling thriving and more classics hosting women’s editions, RCS Sport has reintroduced Sanremo Women, immediately establishing it as one of the most prestigious events of the year.

In its original form, the Primavera Rosa saw the emergence of several stars, including Mirjam Melchers-van Poppel, whose remarkable consistency made her riders with the best set of results across all seven previous editions. Melchers claimed victory once and finished inside the top eleven every year. Zoulfia Zabirova was another standout performer, securing back-to-back wins in 2003 and 2004—the only rider to achieve two victories. Italy’s Sara Felloni triumphed in the inaugural edition in 1999, Lithuania’s Diana Žiliūtė dominated in 2000, while Sweden’s Susanne Ljungskog took honours in 2001. Trixi Worrack holds the honour of winning the final edition in 2005, sealing the race’s legacy until its return this year.

Unlike its original incarnation, the revived Sanremo Women starts in Genoa, covering almost 160 kilometres along the picturesque Ligurian coastline. Riders will tackle the familiar decisive climbs – the Tre Capi group, Cipressa and Poggio – before sprinting into the iconic finish on the Via Roma in Sanremo. It’s a parcours tailor-made for the strongest classics specialists and puncheurs, who will relish the opportunity to race on roads so steeped in cycling history – with a new generation of women able to add their names to the record books.

Previous Winners

2024
Not held
2023
Not held
2022
Not held

2025 Sanremo Women Race Profile

Live TV Coverage

Saturday 22nd March 2025

Live on Discovery+/Max/TNT Sports Online across most of Europe
Italy: RAI
Australia: SBS
Belgium: RTBF

Live from 11:00-14:00

All times in GMT

Twitter: #SanremoWomen

Startlist: FirstCycling

2025 Sanremo Women 2025 Contenders

Lotte Kopecky and Lorena Wiebes will be the riders to watch for SD Worx, and between them, they will be incredibly hard to beat. This will be Kopecky’s first race of the season, and as the world champion, all eyes will be on her to see if she can deliver straight away. The Poggio is perfect for her to attack, and if she reaches the finish alongside a small group, she’ll have the sprint to finish it off. The biggest challenge might come from Wiebes. She’s been climbing superbly and has the fastest finish in any sprint. With four wins already this year, she’s in top form, and if SD Worx plays this right, they will be nearly impossible to stop.

Elisa Balsamo will be looking to back up her Trofeo Alfredo Binda victory with another strong showing. She won’t have the same punch on the Poggio as Kopecky, but she should be able to survive it. She’ll fancy her chances in a sprint if the race comes back together, though Wiebes remains the favourite. Anna Henderson has been riding incredibly strongly, even if her results don’t fully reflect it yet, and she’s definitely going to be ready to take control of this race for her leader. Niamh Fisher-Black could attack on the Poggio, but everything after that works against her chances.

Marianne Vos made her return to racing last weekend at Trofeo Alfredo Binda and immediately showed she had nailed her preparation, finishing 4th in the sprint. It feels like she’s been in the peloton long enough to have raced the original versions of Sanremo, but she didn’t quite start in time. She would love to win here, and if everything goes perfectly, she certainly has a chance, though beating SD Worx will be incredibly difficult. Team Visma | Lease a Bike also has Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, who may be given a licence to attack on the Poggio. If she can descend aggressively, it could force other teams to chase while Visma sits back and conserves resources.

Fenix-Deceuninck will be backing Puck Pieterse, who has already set a rapid time on the Poggio descent in her recon. She’s in outstanding form, with five top-7 finishes in 2025, coming closest to victory with 2nd at Trofeo Oro in Euro. If she reaches the finish in a small group, she has the power to challenge for the win.

Photo Credit: Getty

Elisa Longo Borghini looked much better at Trofeo Alfredo Binda, taking 10th place after struggling through illness at Strade Bianche. A win here is possible, but it will require a lot of attacking, a bit of luck, and a lot of help from others to make sure the right riders are dropped before the finish. ELB sprints well from a reduced group, but she won’t beat Lorena Wiebes or Marianne Vos in a straight-up sprint. Expect Silvia Persico to do the heavy lifting for UAE Team ADQ, either chasing moves or setting a brutal pace on the Cipressa to soften up the peloton before the decisive attacks.

Canyon SRAM zondacrypto arrives with plenty of options, including Kasia Niewiadoma, but it’s difficult to judge where she’s at. The Tour de France Femmes winner has been very quiet so far in 2025, with no finishes better than 18th. The chance to race here was too good to turn down, but she’s clearly targeting bigger goals later on. Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig is in a similar position, with a best result of only 25th this year—normally, she’d be a major favourite for this kind of finish, but her form isn’t quite there yet. Chiara Consonni will be an important name to watch if she survives the Poggio. She was 3rd at GP Oetingen, which will give her confidence, as it was her first podium in nearly two months. Chloe Dygert has the raw power to win this race, but the Poggio descent could be her biggest challenge. She should be able to climb well and sprint well, but she’ll need to navigate the descent without losing touch with the front group.

Kristen Faulkner makes her return to racing at Sanremo Women after suffering a concussion in a training crash in February. At her best, she’s a rider who could go long, attacking from further out than expected and trying to stay away. There’s no telling whether that sort of move will work here, but unlike the men’s peloton, no one really knows if a win from the Tre Capi or Cipressa is possible. Cédrine Kerbaol is one of the best descenders in the peloton, and if she crests the Poggio at the front, she could try a Mohoric-style descent to steal a gap and hold it to the finish. Noemi Rüegg is the most well-rounded option for EF Education-Oatly. She has been in brilliant form, with 3rd at the Cadel Evans Road Race, 9th at Strade Bianche, and 6th at Trofeo Alfredo Binda. She can climb and sprint, and if she times things right, the podium is a real possibility.

Demi Vollering will be one of the biggest favourites, but her battle with former teammate Lotte Kopecky will be the deciding factor. It’s going to be tough for her to get a meaningful gap on the Poggio, so she may have to roll the dice earlier to put pressure on Kopecky. If it plays out like Trofeo Alfredo Binda, she might need an alternative plan. Ally Wollaston gives FDJ-Suez a strong sprint option, and she’s been flying this year with wins at Clasica de Almeria, Cadel Evans Road Race, and Surf Coast Classic. It’ll be tough to beat Wiebes, but she should be in the mix.

Letizia Paternoster was a rider I underestimated ahead of Trofeo Alfredo Binda, but she delivered an impressive 5th place there. She’s starting to find her form in 2025 and could be a contender if she survives the Poggio. Monica Trinca Colonel also sprinted well to 8th at Trofeo Alfredo Binda, continuing to quietly collect strong results in her first season on a Women’s WorldTour team. Between them, Liv AlUla Jayco has a good chance of making the top-10. Mavi Garcia is too big a name to ignore, but she struggles to break away from top-tier climbers, and the Poggio isn’t quite steep enough to suit her. She’ll be a valuable support rider for her teammates. Normally, Silke Smulders would be worth watching, but Paternoster is the clear best option for Liv AlUla Jayco at Sanremo Women.

Cat Ferguson has set expectations sky-high after an outstanding 3rd place at Trofeo Alfredo Binda. A podium in her first Women’s WorldTour race was a statement ride, but it also means all eyes will be on her at Sanremo Women. Whether she can repeat that performance is the big unknown. The race is a different beast entirely, with a longer distance and the crucial Poggio climb before the fast descent into Sanremo. Liane Lippert is still Movistar’s best overall chance, thriving on a finish like this if she can whittle the group down. She looked good at Setmana Ciclista Valenciana, sprinting well behind riders like Elisa Balsamo, but she hasn’t quite shown the same climbing dominance as in previous years.

Pfeiffer Georgi will lead Team Picnic PostNL, but her chances will improve dramatically if the front group is as small as possible. She was strong at Trofeo Alfredo Binda last weekend, initially finishing 5th before being relegated to 16th for a dangerous swerve in the sprint. Her best result of 2025 so far has been 7th at Omloop het Nieuwsblad, and she is one of the few riders capable of going clear after the Poggio and staying away. If she finds herself in a small group rather than a big sprint, she has a real shot at a top result.

Kim le Court has been in outstanding form recently for AG Insurance-Soudal, with 9th at Trofeo Alfredo Binda showing just how well she’s going. She’s got a decent sprint from a reduced group, which won her a stage at the Giro last year, but it’s not the fastest finish here. A top-10 is a realistic aim. Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio will be in a supporting role and will likely need a very hard race on the climbs to become a contender herself.

Maria Giulia Confalonieri is the obvious rider to watch for Uno-X Mobility, particularly in the absence of Linda Zanetti. She has spent much of the season working for others but might get a chance to race for herself here. She can handle the Poggio and has a decent sprint at the end of a tough day, so a top-10 is on the cards. Katrine Aalerud has been remarkably consistent this year, finishing inside the top-10 in almost every race she has entered. She shouldn’t struggle on the Poggio, but her final placing will depend on who else is left in contention by that point. Ingvild Gåskjenn has shown she can sprint well after a hard race, finishing 2nd on a stage at Setmana Ciclista Valenciana, but her form in March has been underwhelming, with only a 20th place at Omloop het Nieuwsblad and a DNF at Strade Bianche. A wildcard option is Mie Bjørndal Ottestad, who came within two seconds of winning the Vuelta Extremadura GC after taking a stage victory there.

VolkerWessels comes into the race with several in-form riders who may not attract much attention but could spring a surprise. Eline Jansen was an impressive 17th in her first race of the year at Omloop het Nieuwsblad but was caught in a crash early at Strade Bianche. If everything goes well, she can handle the climbs and sprint to a solid finish. Anne Knijnenburg and Margot Vanpachtenbeke both had strong showings at Trofeo Oro in Euro, with Knijnenburg taking 4th and Vanpachtenbeke securing 7th. Vanpachtenbeke has already been knocking on the door of a big result, finishing 10th at Omloop het Nieuwsblad. While VolkerWessels might not have the same depth as the biggest teams, they have plenty of under-the-radar riders capable of achieving strong results at Sanremo Women.

2025 Sanremo Women 2025 Outsiders

Photo Credit: Sprint Cycling Agency

It will take some luck, but both Dilyxine Miermont and Daniek Hengeveld could find themselves in a good position at the finish for Ceratizit Pro Cycling. Miermont has been climbing well, with 7th on Jebel Hafeet and 8th at the Cadel Evans Road Race marking her out as an outsider for the top-10. Hengeveld proved her strength when she won from the break at the Tour Down Under, and her 19th place sprint at Omloop het Nieuwsblad suggests she could repeat that here—or do even better.

Cofidis will be looking to Nadia Quagliotto, who has quietly been putting together some solid results. She was 10th at Trofeo Oro in Euro and then 14th when sprinting from the peloton at Trofeo Alfredo Binda. She’ll be keen to perform well in a big home race, and while winning will be a stretch, she could sneak into the top-10.

Arianna Fidanza comes into Sanremo Women in good form for Laboral Kutxa-Fundacion Euskadi, having finished 9th at Trofeo Oro in Euro and 6th at Clasica de Almeria. The level of competition is much higher here, but she’s capable of surviving the climbs and sprinting for a strong result.

Top 3 Prediction

⦿ Lorena Wiebes
⦿ Elisa Balsamo
⦿ Marianne Vos