Fabio Jakobsen "is unbeatable in a flat sprint" Elia Viviani believes

One of the most successful Italian riders of the modern era, Elia Viviani is tipping his compatriot and 22-year-old Olympic gold medalist Jonathan Milan for future success, starting with this year's Milan-Sanremo.

The Bahrain Victorious rider is Viviani's pick as a dark horse for victory at Milan-Sanremo with the INEOS Grenadiers rider glowing in his praise. “The surprise there could be Jonathan Milan," Viviani tells La Gazzetta. "Physically he is super powerful, but he can also go uphill well and has a great time trial. As a result, he is used to longer efforts, he has incredible potential."

On his own goals for 2023, Viviani admits he would like another Grand Tour ride. "I would like to go back to the Giro, but then I have to be worth it," he says. With INEOS set to go for the pink jersey with Geraint Thomas, the possibility of Viviani getting a shot at adding to his tally of five Giro stage wins. "I'm in a situation where I have to show that I'm resilient."

With nine Grand Tour stage wins in total, including victories at each of the three-week-long stage races, Viviani knows a thing or two about sprinting. Of the sprinters in today's peloton, who does the Italian think is the quickest? "Fabio Jakobsen is the most powerful. He is unbeatable in a flat sprint," Viviani said of his former Quick-Step teammate. "In addition, Jasper Philipsen. He is very complete. And then you have Olav Kooij , who also holds his own uphill . Another Dutchman, Dylan Groenewegen , has also made a great comeback."