Filippo Ganna ahead of Milano-Sanremo: "If Pogacar drops van der Poel, It'd mean that we'd only see him again at the finish"

In 2025 Filippo Ganna was at the absolute top of his game and took on Milano-Sanremo alongside the very best. He joined Tadej Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel on the winning attack and rode to second on the day. The leader of INEOS Grenadiers wants to improve on that result but he knows that he faces generational talent.

But he knows the stakes are higher than in almost any other race ni the calendar. "If you win Milano-Sanremo, you make history. I want to make history. That's what inspires me when I think about Milano-Sanremo. I've gone close twice, now I want to win it," Ganna said in words to L'Équipe and Gazzetta dello Sport.

Being one of Italy's greatest classics specialists, he certainly carries much of the hope of the home nation to win the first monument of the season. A strong time trialist, his ability to generate incredibly high raw watts for a short but sustained period of time makes him a pretty ideal card to play in the shallow climbs of the Ligurian coast. Ganna was the third strongest on the Cipressa last year, which confirms that the weight is not a limiting factor in taking up Sanremo's ascents at record speeds.

"At the beginning I couldn't even do the Cipressa, then I got over it, then the Poggio too and now I can stay with the best until the finish. Since then it's been nice to see my improvements year on year. I've matured mentally and physically, raising the bar each time."

He is experienced and knows how the race can be won. But he is also aware that out of the five monuments of cycling, this is the one that is most open. "There's no perfect scenario for Milano-Sanremo. Sanremo is a puzzle where you have to make every piece fit. It's a unique challenge without a single solution. You've got to be able to manage every moment of the race."

However for the versatile Italian, that can be an advantage, as he can sprint; and he has the potential to take a solo win if he finds himself at any point isolated off the front. But he knows that the Cipressa is going to be the key point in the race, and nothing can be achieved if he doesn't have his best legs on the 5.6-kilometer long ascent.

"I didn't honestly expect Pogacar to openly attack last year. It was intense but I managed to go with them. It was one of the hardest efforts of my life. Fortunately, being a time trialist helped me, I know how to suffer and pace my effort. Second place hurt but I was on the podium with Van der Poel and Pogacar."

The ideal scenario is, essentially, what he managed to pull off last year. "It'd be bad news if Pogacar drops van der Poel, It'd mean that we'd only see him again at the finish," the Italian believes. Hence he wants Pogacar to have a direct match, whilst then potentially benefiting from a tactical move. That is perhaps the best chance he has of succeeding.

"Mathieu is one of the few riders that can control Tadej. But Milano-Sanremo is impossible to predict, it can be different each time. I just hope to have to chase less than I did in 2025. I just hope to have something left for the sprint and to read the race better by not being in the red. That could help me."