Late March has rolled around but somehow it feels like the season has only just got started, and the Tour Down Under just days ago. This weekend marks the first of the Monuments in 2025, with Milan-San Remo opening proceedings. While recent editions have enjoyed pleasant spring weather, this year it was far from sunshine and short-sleeved jerseys at the start in Pavia. The forecast rain had delivered and the sound of inflating and deflating tyres soundtracked the paddocks.
Before the race got underway, we had time to take in the tech being used for the longest one-day race on the Men's WorldTour calendar. The consensus across teams was that nothing, beyond tyre pressure, had been changed from the planned setups had the race started under sunnier skies.
One thing that was striking walking around the paddocks was just how many teams were leaving watts on the table. Teams using waxed chains were the underwhelming minority compared to those running oiled chains. Given the wet course, this could lead to significant efficiency losses when the race got spicy on (or before) the Poggio.
To 1X or not to 1X, that is the question
Although Milan-San Remo is often defined by attacks on the uphill gradients of the Cipressa and Poggio, there is no denying that the race is fast throughout. The average speeds on the climbs rarely see anything south of 35 km/h (22 mph) with Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) exceeding 50 km/h (31 mph) during their assault on the Poggio last year.
Eventual winner Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) averaged 46.11 km/h for the 288 km race last year, begging the question of whether a double chainset is really necessary. If the start of the race is anything to go by, both teams and individual riders cannot agree. Previous winner Matej Mohorič (Bahrain Victorious) and teammate Fred Wright decided to use a single , Using Carbon-Ti chainrings as Shimano does not officially offer a 1X setup.
Tom Pidcock (Q36.5), another favourite for 'La Classicissima' this year, decided to run a single chainring along with other SRAM-sponsored athletes like Jonathan Milan and Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) and Victor Campenaerts (Visma-Lease a Bike). Given that SRAM offers a 1X solution, the number of riders that had decided to stick with a traditional double chainset appeared high considering the nature of the race.
New wheels from Vision
It is hard to tell from a glance but Italian brand Vision looked to be debuting a set of unreleased wheels at Milan-San Remo. Both EF-Education Easy Post and Arkéa-B&B Hotels had a limited number of riders using wheels labelled as Metron 45 RS. The black decals make it hard to spot at first, but upon closer inspection, the wheels look to use carbon fibre spokes.
The new wheels are marked up as 45 mm deep and the spokes are clearly carbon fibre when viewed up close. The Metron 45 RS looks to be Vision's first carbon-spoked wheelset.
Beyond the carbon fibre spokes it is hard to tell what is new to these wheels, however, it is fair to assume we won't be waiting too long for more details now that these wheels are out in the open.
Movistar spotted with unreleased Fizik shoes
The rain at the start in Pavia meant most riders were kitted out with overshoes to keep themselves warm and dry before racing got underway. One rider who opted out, though, was Movistar's Iván García Cortina. Heading off to sign on, he was seen wearing a new shoe from team sponsor Fizik.
The shoe looks to wrap around the foot with the upper wrapping underneath, and very little in the way of the outsole.
Compared to Fizik shoes of old, the new model also looks to be a lot straighter in its profile, deviating from the more curved shape that has become typical from the Italian brand. The white shoes García Cortina wore went without any branding except for a small Fizik logo on the rear of the shoe.
Bianchi Oltre RC 140 Anniversario Limited Edition
2025 is a special year for the Italian bike brand Bianchi. It marks 140 years since the company was founded, making it the oldest bike brand in the world still in business. To celebrate this illustrious milestone the brand has released an anniversary edition of the Oltre RC and Specialissima RC with 140 frames of each available to the public.
The marbled paint is a work of art that has a hypnotic depth to it and makes the paint look as if it is still liquid.
Arkéa-B&B Hotels premier rider Kévin Vauquelin was presented with one to ride at Italy's highest profile one-day race. The bike sports a marbled dark green colourway with hints of the carbon fibre beneath peaking through. This finish extends onto the seat mast and a small logo celebrating the brand's anniversary on the seat tube.
If you are Tom Pidcock, aero apparently isn't everything
Scott-sponsored Q36.5 have both the Foil RC and the Addict RC at their disposal. Considering the race profile and the speed at which the Cipressa and Poggio are tackled, it would make sense to ride the most aerodynamic bike you have at your disposal.
Pidcock, who made a valiant late attack last year on the Via Roma before settling for 11th in the bunch kick, has decided that the Addict RC is the right bike for him, even if most of his teammates made the more obvious choice to use the Foil.
It appears to be the bike that Pidcock prefers outright, having used it at Strade Bianche and the majority of his race days across the early season stage races where he's found himself at the pointy end.
A single 54-tooth chainring was Pidcock's chosen setup for Milan-San Remo, pairing it with a 10-33 cassette to give him all the range he needs. Keeping in line with the latest trend, Pidcock is also running 165 mm cranks.
Pidcock bucked the trend of his Q36.5 teammates and decided to use the Addict RC over the Foil RC. With 28 mm Vittoria tyres, 165 mm cranks and a 54-tooth one-by configuration, the bike is packed with current tech trends.
John Degenkolb uses monster chainrings and super-long cockpit
Of all the rider's bikes I managed to get up close and personal with, the winner from a decade ago had one of the most aggressive setups. A 56/44 chainset is a clear sign that the German veteran is expecting a fast race and could be preparing himself for a sprint finish in San Remo.
At the front of the bike, Degenkolb is running this enormous integrated cockpit from Lapierre. It isn't so often that you see 140+ mm stems being used these days but it does make the bike look incredibly aggressive and ready for the fireworks that are bound to come in the finale.
Uno-X Mobility finally get integrated cockpits for the new Noah Fast
When we first got to see the new Noah Fast from Ridley at the Women's Tour Down Under, one thing stuck out like a sore thumb on such an obviously aerodynamic bike: the cockpit. At the time, the entire team was running a two-piece configuration that left a lot to be desired in terms of wind-cheating efficiency.
It looks like the team have slowly started receiving the integrated cockpits that create a far smoother, and visibly more aerodynamic front end to the bike. The flowing lines create a seamless transition from the stem to the top tube, with the main bulk of the stem nestled within the footprint of the exceedingly deep headtube.
Custom chainrings for Pogačar, but not everyone gets a spare Y1RS
As the current world champion, you'd expect Tadej Pogačar to have certain finishing touches to his bike. The rainbow wheel stickers and the custom-painted frame are nothing new for world champions, but beyond that, something particularly noteworthy could be seen on the chainrings fitted to his Y1RS. Along with the UAE Emirates logo, Pogačar has his own (TP) brand logo cut into the Carbon-Ti rings.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG might be the richest team in the sport right now, but that hasn't stopped them from relying on the V4Rs as spare bikes for all of the team except Pogačar. The Y1RS still looks to have been produced in such small numbers that the team is yet to have a full fleet that includes spare frames.
Elsewhere in the paddocks
Tyre pressure was the closely guarded secret by mechanics. With rain forecast for the early portion of the day and potentially extending to the finish, ensuring a tyre pressure that would allow riders the grip and confidence to attack the Poggio descent would be crucial to success at this year's edition.
Jayco-AlUla were using some of the widest tyres of the day with the relatively new Cadex Aero tyres in a 30 mm width. Even with these fitted, there was plenty of clearance in the Propel's fork. Michael Matthews's bike (pictured) was fitted with cSixx chainrings in place of the regular Shimano rings.
Specialized recently launched some new race tyres with the ever-catchy name of Cotton Folding Racing Only Tire. Compared to the competition elsewhere in the bunch, the 26 mm tube-only tyres used by Soudal-QuickStep look a little outdated, even if the 320 tpi construction is supple and fast. In a peloton full of 28- and 30-mm tubeless tyres, they stick out as somewhat of an outlier.
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