INEOS Grenadiers lose a key asset for Filippo Ganna's Milano-Sanremo ambitions

All eyes are on this weekend's Milano-Sanremo where INEOS Grenadiers hope to play a role too. With very strong Filippo Ganna, the British formation is optimistic about their odds against Tadej Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel.

Ganna will be able to rely on support from Geraint Thomas, who returns to Sanremo for the first time in nine years. However one man who won't be there for the Italian diesel is La Primavera veteran Michal Kwiatkowski.

The Pole crashed in the same corner as Pogacar during recent Strade Bianche which costed him notable amount of skin. However what's worse is the knee pain that prevents the 2017 Milano-Sanremo champion from continuing his streak of 12 consecutive starts.

"Not the way I planned it, but unfortunately a knee injury is forcing me to take a break," Kwiatkowski writes on his X account. "A diagnosed inflammation around the patella means I need to focus on recovery and rehab, which sadly keeps me out of Milano-Sanremo. Tough decision, but health comes first. I’ll be back stronger!"