Classic Italian cycling races Milano-Sanremo and Il Lombardia will move to Sundays next year in a change designed to boost television audiences.
The 2013 Milano-Sanremo will be held on March 17, while Il Lombardia will take place on October 6, after more than a century of the two events being raced on a Saturday. The Union Cycliste Internationale, the international cycling union, confirmed the changes after a request was submitted to the sport’s world governing body by event operator RCS Sport.
The Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper, which is owned by the RCS Group, said the change had been made to attract greater television audiences to the races, while also increasing road safety levels for cyclists.
In June, the IMG Media agency acquired international rights for the Giro d’Italia and other Italian cycling races, including the Milano-Sanremo and Il Lombardia, after sealing a global distribution deal, excluding Italy, with RCS Sport for the next eight years, from 2013 to 2020.