Rose Manley and Jo Rowsell cast their eye over one of the most hotly anticipated races of the year, Milano-Sanremo Donne. The last time the race was staged for women was 20 years ago, leaving plenty of intrigue over how it would be approached by this current crop of riders. This season’s battle of SD Worx versus Demi Vollering was expected to continue into this race. The Dutch team boasted both World Champion Lotte Kopecky and super sprinter Lorena Wiebes in their line-up, making them the team to beat. However, former alumnus Vollering – now of FDJ Suez – got the better of them at Strade Bianche and looked to do it again on the famous climbs of the Cipressa and Poggio. There were plenty of contenders for the inaugural Milano Sanremo Donne title elsewhere too. Trofeo Binda champion Elisa Balsamo heads up Lidl-Trek, Elisa Longo Borghini looks to make a big impression as Italian champion and Kasia Niewiadoma races for the first time since her Strade Bianche crash. Arrivée is The Cycling Podcast’s quick-fire race analysis show offering a first take on the biggest races. Join Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie as they discuss their first impressions of the opening Monument of the spring, the longest one-day race on the World Tour calendar, Milan-Sanremo. Who will triumph on the Via Roma and how did they do it? Sponsored by Laka The Cycling Podcast’s coverage of the spring Classics is supported by Laka. Laka offers specialist bike insurance that goes further than you think. It’s powered by a collective of cyclists who all have each others’ backs. They won’t charge a fixed sum, instead, they calculate your monthly contributions – up to a maximum capped amount – based on the collective’s claims. There’s no excess so you won’t be penalised when it comes to making a claim. Laka is back as a proud sponsor of The Cycling Podcast. Listeners can get their first 30 days free by signing up with the code TCP30 at laka.co/tcp TRIBUTE TO RICHARD MOORE AT GENT-WEVELGEM Friend of the Podcast Charlotte Elton is raising money to pay tribute to our friend and co-founder Richard Moore at Gent-Wevelgem by painting his name on the road. She’s crowdfunding to pay for the paint and any additional funds will be donated to Sir Chris Hoy’s Tour de 4 charity. You can donate to the cause here. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to new special episodes every month plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes. The Cannibal & Badger Friends of the Podcast can join the discussion at our new virtual pub, The Cannibal & Badger. A friendly forum to talk about cycling and the podcast. Log in to your Friends of the Podcast account to join in. The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it’s after 11am). The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.