Breaking: Mathieu van der Poel reported to line-up for Milano-Sanremo

Could Mathieu van der Poel make a surprise return to the peloton at Milano-Sanremo? Reports point that way, as the Dutch talent is seemingly recovered from injury and in-form, and was already set out to travel to Italy later this month.

It was reported by Sporza that Mathieu van der Poel will be selected to Milano-Sanremo, according to insider information. Alpecin-Fenix has not yet confirmed their lineup for the first monument of the season, which is likely to be lead by Jasper Philipsen. However, the team may have a different card to play with this report.

Today van der Poel shared his training ride on Strava which he has titled "Getting some speed in the legs". The Dutchman has been training in Spain since early February after recovering from a back injury that has flared up once again during the cyclocross christmas period. He has this week returned to home in the Netherlands, where he has been putting on some more kilometers in the legs.

He was rumoured to be starting Settimana Coppi e Bartali, but his comeback to the peloton may be even sooner, and as both races take place in Italian territory it would make sense to combine both, even if he won't be at Milano-Sanremo with ambitions similar to those he's had in the past.