Milano-Sanremo, as the first Monument on calendar, always attracts wide range of top riders who want to test themselves on the famous hills; Cipressa and Poggio. While the main narrative of La Primavera will once again revolve around Tadej Poagacar's attempt to finally shake off Mathieu van der Poel and add this traditional race to his palmares, there should be another Tour de France champion at the start of the race's 116th edition.
Italian outlet
Gazzetta dello Sport informs that
Geraint Thomas is expected to be one of the unexpected names to appear at the start in Pavia. Thomas is not entirely unfamiliar with the Italian Monument, having participated five times between 2011 and 2016, with his result a 31st place in 2015. Afterwards, the
INEOS Grenadiers rider fully switched to role of a mountain domestique, and later became a GC leader himself, winning the 2018 Tour de France.