For several months, it has been speculated how the addition of the Pompeiana climb to the finale of Milan-Sanremo will affect the outcome of the race but now we may get a traditional sprinter-friendly edition of La Classicisima. A report in La Stampa suggests that recent land slides and safety concerns have prompted local authorities to refuse to issue the needed permit to hold the race on the feared ascent.

One of the most heated debates in the cycling world has been the decision by Milan-Sanremo organizers RCS Sports to include the new Pompeiana climb in the finale of the historic classic. With the ascent set to rule out many of the sprinters, riders like Mark Cavendish, André Greipel and Marcel Kittel have admitted that the days when they could dream of winning La Classicisima were gone and none of those riders planned to line up at the event.

They may now need to revise their racing schedule after reports in La Stampa suggest that there will be no inclusion of the Pompeiana after all. Bad weather and land slides have led to safety concerns from local authorities that have refused to issue the permit to hold the race that would see thousands of spectators lne up along the narrow and twisting road.

"We took a decision before the bad weather of the last few days. We'd pointed out a series of problems linked to safety. Our negative decision was decided with a official act," Michele Russo, the Provincial engineer for transport and road infrastructure, told La Stampa.

The road includes long sections without guard rails and a critical section near Castellaro on the difficult descent back to the main coastal road and those are some of the reasons for the decision by the authorities.

RCS Sport still haven't made an official announcement but are likely to bring the race back to its previous format, with the Cipressa and Poggio climbs again being the deciders. While the sprinters will relish their chance to again win the famed classic, riders like Vincenzo Nibali, Chris Froome and Philippe Gilbert who have all made the race an early-season target, will regret the likely absence of the new climb.