An Italian rider has not won Milan-San Remo since 2018 and yet the tifosi are hoping for a home-race miracle on Saturday from Filippo Ganna, Jonathan Milan or Alberto Bettiol.
Italy has won 51 of the 114 editions of La Classicissima, but the favourites are from other nations this year, while the Italian riders are the outsiders.
‘La speranza è l'ultima a morire’ – ‘Hope springs eternal’ – as the Italians often say, as they hold out for a miracle. They can only cling to the unpredictability of Milan-San Remo and that 16 different riders have won in the last 16 years.
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Vincenzo Nibali was the last to hear the Italian national anthem ring out across the Via Roma after winning in 2018 with an attack over the top of the Poggio.
Ganna is the only Italian in the peloton with a podium place on his palmares after he was able to follow Tadej Pogačar’s surge and win the three-rider sprint behind Mathieu van der Poel last year.
The tifosi are hoping Ganna can recover from the cold that hit him at Tirreno-Adriatico and join the attack on the Poggio again. If the race somehow comes back together after the Poggio, perhaps Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) can use his power sprint in the Via Roma.
If Tadej Pogačar and UAE Team Emirates blow up the race on the Cipressa and Poggio, perhaps Alberto Bettiol (EF Education-EasyPost) can go with him, using the form he showed to win Milano-Torino on Wednesday with a 30 km solo attack.
Last year Ganna was on superb form. This year, he has been fighting to catch up after tonsillitis cost him almost a month of training in November. He will not ride Paris-Roubaix or any other cobbled Classics so he can prepare for the Giro d’Italia, but his hopes for Milan-San Remo have been derailed by further illness.
“I’ve got a bit of flu, a runny nose and a cough, but I hope it won’t affect my race too much,” Ganna said on Thursday, sounding sick and struggling to stay optimistic.
“I’m hopeful it won’t affect my race too much. We’ll fight to the end and I’ll do my best.”
Jonathan Milan gave Italy their only WorldTour wins in 2024 at Tirreno-Adriatico. His sprinting power on the riding finish in Giulianova and then his pure speed in San Benedetto del Tronto was impressive.
He has ridden Milan-San Remo twice but in a domestique role. He is one of four potential leaders at Lid-Trek but naturally comes behind Mads Pedersen and 2021 winner Jasper Stuyven in the pecking order.
Milan can only play a waiting game and supporting role, in the hope that Pogačar and Van der Poel cancel each other’s attacks and that the race comes back together for a big-group sprint in the Via Roma. The last time that happened was in 2016 when Arnaud Demare won.
“Becoming a Classics hunter is my ambition, my goal. I want to get there soon, but I’m also realistic. The Classics are races where experience counts a lot and that’s a factor to keep in account for me. I think the best approach is to take everything step-by-step,” Milan said.
“I expect to be able to aim to be among the aspiring winners in the future but for this year, I first want to prove myself, give my all and be an important part of the team. Mads is super strong, Jasper is a rider who knows how to win San Remo, and I’ll be at their side ready to play the best role for the team’s success.”
Bettiol appears to be the only Italian with the form, health and leadership role to be able to target Milan-San Remo. With Neilson Powless out of action due to a knee injury and Ben Healy focused on the Ardennes Classics, Bettiol is EF Education-EasyPost’s best option.
Bettiol won the Tour of Flanders in 2019 but has struggled with chronic ulcerative colitis and other setbacks. His solo attack at the Glasgow World championships highlighted his talent and courage, but he is unpredictable, describing himself as “the last of the romantic racers” as he tries to take on Pogačar and Van der Poel.
He wasn’t supposed to attack alone with 30 km to race at Milano-Torino but went for it anyway and won.
“Winning Milano-Torino is one thing, winning Milan-San Remo is something else,” Bettiol said, trying to temper everyone's enthusiasm, including his own.
“It’s almost impossible to win when so many great riders are in the race but I feel proud to try to take on a great rider like Pogačar. He’s the big favourite for Saturday, but I'll give my all, as I’m sure Filippo Ganna and Jonathan Milan will.”
