When the Milano-Torino returned to the cycling calendar in 2012 after a four-year absence, the race brought with it a thrilling and unmissable new feature: the climb to the Basilica of Superga. In just a few years, this short but punishing ascent (4.9 km at 9.1%) – steeped in history, including the tragic 1949 plane crash involving the legendary Grande Torino football tea – became an iconic battleground for cycling fans.
From 2012 to 2019, the Milano-Torino was held in early October, serving as the perfect launchpad for Il Lombardia. However, after the Covid-induced reshuffling of the race calendar, the world’s oldest cycling Classic was moved to March, making it the final tune-up before Milano-Sanremo. At that point in the season, the Superga climb was deemed unnecessary, and from 2020 onwards – with the sole exception of 2021, when the race once again finished atop the Turin hillside – a flatter, sprinter-friendly course was chosen instead. This led to finishes in Stupinigi (2020), Rivoli (2022), Orbassano (2023), and Salassa (2024), while the Colle di Superga was tackled in the 2022 Giro d’Italia (who could forget that wild stage around Turin?) and only brushed past in the 2024 opening stage.
This year, however, the Milano-Torino will return to what is arguably its most beloved format – a summit finish just meters from the Basilica, setting the stage for an explosive battle of attacks and counterattacks on the final climb. Legends have conquered this mountain, including Alberto Contador, Diego Ulissi, Giampaolo Caruso, Diego Rosa, Miguel Ángel López, Rigoberto Urán, Thibaut Pinot, Michael Woods, and Primož Roglič. But before them, Federico Bahamontes won here during the 1958 Giro d’Italia, and Vincenzo Nibali claimed the Italian National Championship atop this very climb in 2015.
The big news? For the first time ever, the “Superga version” of the Milano-Torino will take place in March instead of October, making it a tasty opportunity for riders looking to add the world’s oldest Classic to their palmarès.
