British champion Mark Cavendish could be tempted to ride this year’s Milan-San Remo after organisers confirmed the Pompeiana climb would not feature in the race on March 23.
The five-kilometre climb, with ramps touching 14 per cent, was due to be added to the 2014 route, prompting Cavendish – winner in 2009 – to rule himself out of contention.
However, following concerns over the climb’s safety, Vegni Mauro, the director of organisers RSC Sport, met with officials from the city of Imperia and the ascent has been removed from the race.
The 105th edition of the race will instead return to its 2007 course – featuring the Turchino, and a series of climbs in the finale which culminate with the Cipressa and the Poggio.
When the route to be used was last run, it yielded eight sprint finishes out of 11 between 1997 and 2007 and Cavendish could yet return to this year’s race in a bid to win a second Milan-San Remo title.
A statement read: “Vegni Mauro met Friday morning the prefect of Imperia, which has expressed its inability to deal with the new ascent of the Pompeiana for reasons of viability (landslides, dangers of practicability, difficulty to secure the track in the short term).
“So the decision to introduce in the plot of this new Spring Classic ascent…will be postponed to the next few years.”
