Jonathan Milan's coach has no doubt he can win Milano-Sanremo: "That he can win one day is a bet I would make"

Jonathan Milan is a rising star in cycling and although he has already achieved a lot, the Lidl-Trek rider could have a lot more in future years. His coach has discussed some of his plans, his personal expectations on the Italian and how he is even capable of changing his specialty.

"It is clear that he has an incredible sprint. What makes him even more special is that, despite being so tall and heavy for a rider, he has a very explosive thrust and can maintain it for a long time," his coach Mattias Reck told Bici.Pro. "Because he has such a powerful aerobic engine, combined with his high anaerobic power, he can maintain a very intense pace for a long time before sprinting".

With Bahrain - Victorious this already seemed clear, but this year with a strong leadout and another year of experience behind him, the 24-year old has excelled throughout the whole year which included three stage wins and the points classification at the Giro d'Italia, and several more wins including four World Tour-level triumphs. But Milan is already testing himself for the classics and Reck believes that this is a very realistic set of goals for him in the spring.

"That race (Tour of Flanders, ed.) has had an extremely high level of climbing in recent years, so I dare not make any predictions. However, Jonathan could be present at races such as Sanremo, Gent-Wevelgem and Roubaix". Sanremo specially is a focus and a very realistic goal: "Although that does depend on how hard the climbs of Capo Berta and Cipressa are made, on the wind, and of course it also requires a bit of luck. That he can win one day is a bet I would make".

Milan is a notable sprinter and his style is reminiscent of the 2000's pure heavyweight bunch sprint specialist, which is rare nowadays. However his big physical stature does not mean in any way that he can't perform elsewhere. In fact, Milan, a track specialist, is also capable of thriving in time-trials on the road. "Although that is not something we are specifically focusing on at the moment. The goal should be to improve his strengths even further and not to focus too much on things that are not the highest priority". 

The truth is Milan already showed himself very capable, only this year finishing third on the Tirreno-Adriatico time-trial and winning the prologue at the Deutschland Tour. The longer distances could potentially be a goal of his later in his career as he has the raw power to be amongst the best.

"Then we will see what he can do. However, shorter time trials, such as those of 10-12 kilometers, can already be ridden at a very high level and suit his character. The point is that we cannot even concentrate on tests of 35-40 kilometers. If we did, we might lose too much on other fronts," he concluded.