Organizers RCS Sport have been forced to shorten this year's Milan-Sanremo by 46 km due to snow on the Passo del Turchino. When the riders reach the 117 km mark, they will be transported by shuttle buses and cars over the climb, and the race will recommence with just 135 km left to race.

Much has been said about the expected harsh weather in the lead-up to this year's Milan-Sanremo, and most have expected it to influence the race dramatically. With organizers removing Passo del Turchino from the course, this has now turned into reality in a rather unexpected way.

The bunch is currently riding along the plains of the Po valley, and Astana and Cannondale have put on the pace in attempt to keep a 6-rider break in control. Matteo Montaguti (Ag2r), Lars Bak (Lotto-Belisol), Maxim Belkov (Katusha), Pablo Lastras (Movistar), Filippo Fortin (Bardiani) and Diego Rosa (Androni Giocattoli) enjoy a 10 minute lead at the moment. After 117 km of riding they will be picked up by shuttle buses and cars. When the race recommences, the breakaway will be sent off with the time gap they had at the point where the race was temporarily stopped.

The shortened race means that this year's Milan-Sanremo will not be calendar's longest one-day race, and with the reduced distance and the removal of one of the race's main climbs it will be more difficult for teams like Cannondale, Astana, BMC and Sky to make the race hard. As a consequence, the course change certainly strengthens the chances of the sprinters.

You can follow the race live on CyclingQuotes.com/live starting at 14.30. Until then you can prepare for the race by studying our preview.