Ineos Grenadiers have named their squad for Milan-San Remo this Saturday, with 2025 runner-up Filippo Ganna leading the British team's charge at the first Monument of the season.
Following the illness and withdrawal of Lidl-Trek sprinter Jonathan Milan, Ganna lines up in Pavia as Italy's greatest hope for a result at the 298km race. He has finished second on two previous occasions – in 2023 and 2025 – both times behind Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech).
Ganna has scored two wins so far in 2026, both time trial triumphs at the Volta ao Algarve and Tirreno-Adriatico. He's bidding to become the first home winner at Milan-San Remo since Vincenzo Nibali soloed to victory in 2018.
"If you win Milan-San Remo, you make history. I want to make history. That's what inspires me when I think about Milan-San Remo. I've gone close twice, now I want to win it," Ganna said this week.
"I honestly didn't expect Pogačar to openly attack last year. It was intense, but I managed to go with them. It was one of the hardest efforts of my life.
"Fortunately, being a time trialist helped me; I know how to suffer and pace my effort. Second place hurt, but I was on the podium with Van der Poel and Tadej Pogačar."
Ganna will be joined in the Ineos Grenadiers squad by 2017 San Remo champion Michał Kwiatkowski and fellow time trial star Josh Tarling. Axel Laurance and Ben Turner could also be key lieutenants in the final, while Jack Haig and Connor Swift complete the squad.
Leonardo Basso, who will support the team as a directeur sportif alongside Elia Viviani, outlined the roles of the Ineos riders for Saturday's race.
"Connor Swift and Jack Haig will act as support after the Turchino downhill to the Capi. It is a chaotic phase, and we need to set up our positions a bit earlier," he said.
"After, we have Michał Kwiatkowski, Axel Laurance and Ben Turner for the phase on Capi into the Cipressa. After, we have Filippo Ganna and Josh Tarling from the bottom of the Cipressa to the finish, in theory."
Kwiatkowski heads to the race as Ineos road captain, with the Pole's ability to read the race and manage other riders out on the road, "fundamental" to success, Basso said.
Laurance and Turner will be key to responding to any moves from Pogačar and UAE on the Cipressa, such as the one which blew the race apart last year. After that, it's up to star man Ganna and Tarling, who finished 25th at Paris-Nice while helping the team to a TTT victory.
"We expect a super strong UAE that wants to attack and be aggressive on the Cipressa. Every team knows this, so the run into the Cipressa is likely to be more chaotic than last year," Basso said.
"We can say clearly that Axel and Ben's job is to go on the Cipressa, but we have to be ready to do this with them.
"For Josh, he is also such a value for this team. He was flying at Paris-Nice, so it is fantastic to have him on board without the pressure. His legs are there. We're just going into the Cipressa with him and seeing what opportunities the race offers.
"The beauty of San Remo is that there are thousands of scenarios that can happen, and it is fantastic to have one more card to play in the team."
Many are expecting a repeat of the 2025 race, with Pogačar trying to break clear on the Cipressa before attacking again over the Poggio in an attempt to solo to glory. However, this year's race could play out differently, with wind conditions in the final likely to be unfavourable to solo moves.
In any case, Ganna will have to hope to match the Slovenian and Van der Poel once again if he's to win La Classicissima this year.
"Mathieu is one of the few riders who can control Tadej. But Milan-San Remo is impossible to predict; it can be different each time," Ganna said.
"I just hope to have to chase less than I did in 2025. I just hope to have something left for the sprint and to read the race better by not being in the red. That could help me."
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