Christian Delle Stelle and Grega Bole talk about the preparation for the upcoming Milano-Sanremo and what it means to them to race in this legendary event.

For Delle Stelle, Milano-Sanremo is something special. He was born in Milano and he still lives there, so he had a chance to watch the race from the road side, as a fan. Now he will race himself and be watched by thousands of spectators.

"I’ve trained really hard for this race with my coach Luca Quinti," he said. "My training rides where longer than usually, up to 260 kilometers. It will be difficult to compete against the riders who had participated in the Tirreno-Adriatico and Paris-Nice, but we definitely won’t give up. I’ve never raced in such a long race, which is almost 300km long and I don’t know exactly how my body will react. I feel very good though and I hope to be a valuable piece of the team.

"Being a Milanese and to have the opportunity to take part in Milano-Sanremo is something to be proud of. As a kid I would watch the race live and I was always hoping for a bunch sprint. They were the most exciting for me. The race in 2007 I remember the most. This is when Oscar Freire took the win I had a chance to be at the finish line and see this great champion. Back then I was thinking that it would be amazing to compete in this event some day, and now my dream is coming true.

"A lot of my friends and family will be cheering for me on the route. They will motivate me to push myself even harder."

For Grega Bole it will be the fourth time he will stand on the start line of La Primavera, but he was never finishing the race on the famous Via Roma. In the last 6 year the finish was located on Piazzale Italo Calvino.

"I didn’t do extremely long trainings prior the race, but I worked very hard after the Ruta del Sol to be ready. In the last week I did two 6-hour rides and I was sleeping in the altitude room. I was also competing in some races – in the Netherlands and on Thursday in the GP Nobili Rubinetterie," he said.

"The finish of La Primavera comes back to its traditional location, Via Roma. I don’t know exactly how the final meters look like but one thing is certain. Everyone who is seriously thinking about going for good result, has to stay in the front of the group on both – Cipressa and Poggio. If you tackle those climbs at the back of the group you will have no chance to arrive to the line with the favorites."