Elisa Balsamo on possible women's Milano-Sanremo: "I hope one day I can participate"

Trek - Segafredo's Elisa Balsamo has turned pro in a good period for women's cycling where expansion is coming fast. The World champion has talked about her dream of racing a women's Milano-Sanremo.

"Of course it wouldn't be from Milan to San Remo, because that's too long. I think 165 kilometers would be fine for us. Milan-San Remo is one of the longest races on the men's calendar, so we can also make it a little longer than usual with us, but more than 160 kilometers is not necessary. The most interesting part is at the end," Balsamo said in an interview with VeloNews.

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“A very nice and exciting race can take place over the last kilometers of the men's race. It will be tough, especially with the Cipressa and the Poggio in the last part, but I hope one day I can participate," she added. Being a native of Cuneo, around 100 kilometers from Sanremo, the World champion has very good reasons to be a spokesperson for the possibility of a return of the monument into the women's peloton.

“I think we have a lot of women now, so it's not a problem that we have double days and can race every week. It's even good, because we can choose which races are best for ourselves and our preparation. Not everyone has to walk the same path anymore, we can plan our season differently," she said.

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With the return of the women's Tour de France, the creation of Paris-Roubaix and the expansion from 9 to 14 World Tour teams in the space of a year, women's cycling is having a period of great expansion, and there seems to be the drive and ambition to keep that growth active and implement more iconic races in the calendar.

“We have a very full calendar, but I think we need two or three very important classics that are not on it yet. I think Il Lombardia is an important one in Italy, and then there might be another race elsewhere in the world," she concluded.