"Come to the start in Milan and you will see" - Matej Mohoric teases form ahead of Milano-Sanremo title defense

Entering Milano-Sanremo as the defending champion following his stunning victory in last year's race, Matej Mohoric will be a marked man. As such he's looking for a way to take the peloton by surprise and he thinks he has found one.

Speaking to Het Nieuwsblad, Mohoric looks ahead to the defence of his crown and the possibility of going back-to-back. "Come to the start in Milan and you will see," he said in an interview. Last year he took a maiden win with a solo attack in the descent of the Poggio, and his rivals will be perfectly aware of the danger he holds.

"I am grateful to my team that I don't have to ride Paris-Nice or Tirreno. Not every rider would get that privilege, but I wanted to do it that way," Mohoric reveals. "Last year I fell in the Strade Bianche, so I had to miss Tirreno and I saw that it worked well. I want to be there from Sanremo to Liège and that just won't work if you're already racing full throttle."

Aside from trying to double up his Milano-Sanremo successes, Mohoric has Paris-Roubaix in his sights, a race he believes he already should've won. "I honestly think I could have won last year. I had a puncture when I was in front together with Tom Devriendt. If I can stay with him, Van Baarle will still ride to us, but perhaps only after Carrefour de l'Arbre. And then maybe I can get on to the slopes." Ultimately however it wasn't to be and Mohoric now looks to improve on the fifth placed finish he achieved last year.