"The ambition to try to become the best" - New bike should see a new 'aero' Jonathan Milan

Jonathan Milan is already one of the strongest and fastest sprinters in the peloton, but he is not only continuing the work he has done with Lidl-Trek. Into the 2026 season we should see a different Milan, with a completely different position on the bike, something which he hopes will give him an extra edge for the sprints so he can continue his success. 

The Italian will return to the Giro d'Italia this spring, after having conquered the Tour de France's green jersey and two stages last year. "The two things go hand in hand, but the Giro will offer me many opportunities, starting with the chance to wear the first pink jersey, and that doesn't always happen," Milan admitted in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport. "The pink jersey, in my childhood dreams, was always there. Now it's not a dream, but a goal." It's a clear path for him and his leadout of Simone Consonni, Edward Theuns and Max Walscheid, whilst Mads Pedersen will return to the Tour de France instead. 

Milan will have to continue contesting with strong sprinters however, which he numbers: "Besides me, Merlier, Philipsen and Kooij. And others are coming, very strong ones. Like Magnier, who should do the Giro and Brennan. It takes realism, in short. If anything, you could say I'm cultivating the ambition to try to become the best."

Merlier is certainly his main rival, and at the Tour de France, both have equally won two bunch sprints this past summer. The two seem to be slightly ahead of the rest when it comes to results in the sprints. "I really enjoy racing against him," he said of the Belgian. "He's a rival, but we congratulate each other if one wins or the other... We're always very close, he's a good guy, there's healthy competition. And, every time, the best one wins."

Milan is now 25 years old, and is changing up his position on the bike. With 1.94 meters of height it's certainly not easy to be an aerodynamic rider, but there was a lot of effort put into it over the winter. “Improving my positioning. And not because of the many comments I've heard, almost as if everyone is a biomechanic... We've talked about it a lot in the team, with the specialists and I'm acting accordingly. We completely changed the frame size of the bike, widened the handlebars... This way, we're able to save a lot of energy, especially for the sprint, where you need to arrive as fresh as possible".

Hence, Milan is taking a risk into this spring and it will be interesting to see whether he will be able to bring the benefits from it. "And I'm able to stay much lower overall. I can throw my head down much more. This, you'll see, will be a clear difference". 

"Without a doubt, I try to improve every year. Training, working methods. Aerodynamics, the gym. In my mind, there's always the idea of taking a step forward. That's why I put all my effort into it. So, I'd say yes. Then, time will judge whether that was the case or not," he concluded.