Milan–San Remo Women

Primavera Rosa

In the late 1990s, the UCI requested that RCS Sport – the organisers of the men's race – hold a women's edition of Milan–San Remo.^[2] In 1999, the first edition of the race was held under the name Primavera Rosa, part of the UCI Women's Road World Cup. It was the first cycling monument to hold a women's edition. The route was around 120 kilometres (75 mi) in length, with the start not in Milan, but in Varazze – but an identical finish in Sanremo, including the Cipressa and Poggio climbs.^[1][3]

7 editions of the race were held between 1999 and 2005. Despite the men's race being considered a "sprinters classic", 4 editions of Primavera Rosa were won by a solo rider in a breakaway.^[1] Russian Zoulfia Zabirova was the only rider to win the race twice, in 2003 and 2004.^[3]

In January 2006, it was announced that the race had been cancelled, and the 2006 edition would not be held.^[4] Organisers noted the lack of financial interest in women's cycling, as well as the disruption caused by extended road closures as both men's and women's races were held on the same day.^[5]

Milano–San Remo Donne

In the late 2010s and early 2020s, major classic cycling races began staging women's editions – such as Liège–Bastogne–Liège Femmes (first held in 2017) and Paris–Roubaix Femmes (first held in 2021).^[6][7] In 2022, RCS Sport – organisers of the men's race – stated that they planned to organise a women's edition of Milan–San Remo in the future.^[8] Riders welcomed this, with Italian rider Marta Cavalli stating that she "would love to play out a big fight with all the riders from the WorldTour on the Poggio".^[9][10] In 2023, RCS Sport announced that a women's edition would be held from 2024.^[11][12]

In October 2024, the 2025 UCI Women's World Tour calendar was announced, with a women's edition of Milan–San Remo to take place on the same day as the men's race.^[13][14] To accommodate the race, the prestigious and long-standing Trofeo Alfredo Binda race shifted its date on the calendar.^[13][15] Following the announcement, Kasia Niewiadoma stated that the race would "raise the level even higher" in women's cycling.^[16] In March 2024, the route was announced, with a start in Genoa and a race length of 156 kilometres (97 mi), around half the length of the men's race.^[17]

Following her victory in 2025, Lorena Wiebes expressed her desire to lengthen the race in future, stating "it would be nice to race closer to 200km, if the rules allow it".^[18] Marianne Vos and multiple world champion Annemiek van Vleuten agreed that the race should be longer, with van Vleuten expressing her desire that the race "should be the longest one-day race ever for women's cycling" with a distance beyond the maximum race distance of 160 kilometres (99 mi) set by the UCI.^[19][20]

From 2026, the UCI will award more ranking points to Grand Tours and cycling monuments compared to other races in the UCI Women's World Tour – thereby officially designating the race as a cycling monument.^[21][22]