Mark Cavendish headlines Astana's sprinter-focused lineup for Milano-Sanremo

Astana Qazaqstan Team have revealed their lineup for Milano-Sanremo. They feature a past winner of the race, Mark Cavendish won this race 14 years ago in 2009 and is back to race it for the 11th time.

The Manxman is the most noteworthy name in the lineup of the Kazakh team. On paper though he won't be a contender, not having shown good form in the sprints this year, and the climbs are set to be very difficult for him to survive. The team will also count on the presence of Cees Bol likely as the leader, but it will also be a tough task for the Dutchman to resist the expected strong pace in the climbs.

In general it should be a team with a lot of green cards. Aleksandr Riabushenko, Simone Velasco and Yevgeniy Fedorov are all riders who on their best day could be within reach of the best, but a Top10 is most likely the most ambitious goal. Russian sprinter Gleb Syritsa and Leonardo Basso conclude the lineup.

Astana Qazaqstan Team for Milano-Sanremo: Mark Cavendish, Aleksandr Riabushenko, Gleb Syritsa, Yevgeniy Fedorov, Leonardo Basso, Simone Velasco and Cees Bol.