“We'll see what I can do there later” – Jonathan Milan eyes Milano-Sanremo after Tirreno-Adriatico victory
Cycling
Jonathan Milan has been in unstoppable form at the start of 2025,
and his victory on stage 2 of Tirreno-Adriatico only reinforced his status as
one of the most exciting sprinters in the peloton. With this latest win under
his belt, his focus now shifts to an even bigger challenge, Milano-Sanremo, the
first Monument of the season and one of the most unpredictable races on the
calendar.
Milano-Sanremo has long been a race where anything can
happen, a classic that doesn’t necessarily favour one type of rider. Recent
editions have been won by pure sprinters like Jasper Philipsen, explosive
finishers like Mathieu van der Poel, attacking specialists like Matej Mohoric,
and even the likes of Jasper Stuyven. Even Tadej Pogacar, who has conquered
almost every major race, has yet to find a way to win La Primavera.
Could Jonathan Milan be the next rider to add his name to
that list? Speaking to In de Leiderstrui, he acknowledged the historical
significance of his win in Follonica, a stage that Jasper Philipsen also won
last year before going on to triumph in Milano-Sanremo.
"I know, last year the victory in Follonica brought him
luck," Milan laughed. "Although it was of course not luck in Sanremo,
Jasper really rode a super race then. We'll see what I can do there
later."
Milan’s approach to 2025 has been different from previous
years. Traditionally a track rider, he has taken a step back from the
velodrome, focusing entirely on improving his endurance and climbing ability.
Read also
"Like him, I didn't ride on the track last winter.
Maybe I'll return after Paris-Roubaix, but in principle, I won't ride track
races for the next two years," he said firmly.
Instead, Milan has put in significant work on his climbing,
a crucial skill that could help him survive the Poggio and remain in contention
for a sprint finish in Sanremo.
"We worked hard this winter to keep the level of the
sprints high, but I also trained hard to become a better climber, especially on
climbs of four or five kilometers. It would be nice if I suffered a little less
uphill, so I train longer and climb a lot more. Mentally, I have also improved
a bit."
His ambitions for Milano-Sanremo are clear, and he takes
inspiration from Filippo Ganna, who finished second in 2023 after a long-range
attack.
"Ganna is a better climber and therefore one of the
strongest riders for Milan-Sanremo. But he is an inspiration. I am trying to
come out of the Tirreno in my best condition, and we are going with a strong
team."
Reflecting on his Tirreno-Adriatico stage win, Milan
acknowledged the importance of learning from last year's experience.
"Last year I couldn't win here, but it was also my
first time. I now knew how to do the sprint, because I took the experiences of
last year with me. My team also rode really well today, I would like to thank
them too."
His sprint was executed to perfection, with his teammates
playing a fundamental role in delivering him to the perfect position.
"A super nice victory, after an almost perfect
day," Milan concluded in his press conference. "The lead-out was
really very good, after we had studied the final kilometre well. Of course, I
still had to do a good sprint, but it was all about that last corner. I
couldn't have done that without my teammates, they believed in me completely.
They were fundamental."
The final sprint wasn’t without its challenges, but Milan
held his composure, even as doubt briefly crossed his mind.
"When I came out of the bend first, I thought for a
moment: this is really far, but it was just a long sprint to the finish for
everyone," he laughed. "I always only know that I've won when I've
crossed the finish line. I can imagine it was a big chaos, but I didn't notice
anything."
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
claps 1visitors 1
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Ernesto Maggioni - The president of the commissaires Mafia. It is getting evident that this guy is basically "Iamalwaysrightandyouarestupidsoiwontlistentoyou" kind of guy. So fire him so that he can be always right in his homeabstractengineer10-11-2026
- Somehow it has got into his mind that he is a GC rider. He is primarily a classics and stage rider who can perform on GC given his day. As a result he is wasting his time on TDF GC and once committed to GC you are too tired to do anything else.abstractengineer10-11-2026
- 🐐❤️Lozza09-11-2026
- This is such a black eye to women's professional cyclocross if this result remains. Marie Schreiber won this race fairly. This finish is not unlike others in cyclocross. Lots of moving around to get to the finish not to cut anyone off , but to generate a sprint on soft wide tires caked with mud and sand. This is not nearly the same as a road race between two riders sprinting to the finish on faster bikes and thinner firmer tires. The powers in charge need to use some common sense, reverse this result and remember this is Cyclocross not Road racing. Unbelievable. . .Zencycle09-11-2026
- Tis beyond your comprehension fine sir so best not to look on with blind eyes to THE GOATS greatness.
Brucegel09-11-2026 - McNulty winning was beneficial in ensuring the rainbow jersey would not remain winless
Front24209-11-2026 - Eccelente! That's 7 riders in total in Red Bull who come from the devo team, 8 if you include Lipo
Rafionain-Glas09-11-2026 - again, nothing is going to be resolved. it is a discussion board. I simply said I didn't see how MS impeded LBs sprint. the UCI doesn't care about my thoughts, and I am really not that emotionally invested in it.mij09-11-2026
- provoke change, lol. this is a discussion board. nothing is going to change by what I say here. just commenting that it didn't look like MS impeded Brand. beyond that not trying to go too deep.mij09-11-2026
- as excellent as maga rednecks chloe dygert (and quinn simmons)?Ketterechts09-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment