Jonathan Milan won the final Tirreno-Adriatico sprint in San Benedetto del Tronto for a third consecutive time, rewarding himself and his Lidl-Trek teammates after a week of suffering and sparking a glimpse of hope and ambition for Milan-San Remo.
Milan missed out on stage 3 to Magliano de' Marsi and so had to suffer in the hilly stages for his final shot at victory. He suffered again when Alpecin-PremierTech' s Mathieu van der Poel's surge on the early climb spat out the sprinters but came back to win with a late acceleration.
"It was a tough Tirreno-Adriatico," Milan said after his win, the fatigue audible in every word.
"We knew there were a lot of hard stages and that we'd have to suffer but hopefully it can boost our level for the spring. I needed a big block of racing and wanted to win a stage."
A late crash took out sprint rivals Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech) and Paul Magnier (Soudal-QuickStep) but also disrupted Milan's leadout. Ed Theuns eventually dragged the giant Italian to the front and then he powered away, head bobbing, to hold Sam Welsford (Ineos Grenadiers) behind him.
"The crash scared me," MIlan said.
"I was worried that somebody would let the gap go but the guys were amazing and we quickly got up to the 20 riders who were up front. I focused on staying on Ed Theun's wheel and then I came out at the right moment."
With Milan winning a power sprint, surviving the week and talking about future goals, he was logically asked about Milan-San Remo.
Mads Pedersen is almost certain not to ride after his crash and injuries and so Lidl-Trek's best tactical option appears to be Milan for a sprint win, alongside rouleurs Mathias Vacek and Søren Kragh Andersen.
Their only problem is UAE Team Emirates-XRG's Tadej Pogačar's well-known desire to blow up the race on the Cipressa and Van der Poel's liking of a hard race. Milan and Lidl-Trek can only hope that the attacks neutralise each other, a headwind helps the chaser and the sprinters get a rare chance in the Via Roma.
"The next goal is Milan-San Remo. I like Milan-San Remo but it's becoming more and more difficult for us big guy sprinters," Milan said with pragmatism.
"Never say never… I'm trying to improve year on year and so I hope I can stay in the main group this year.
"I'll give my all to be there on the Cipressa and then on the Poggio but we've got to be realistic. UAE Team Emirates will go as hard as they can to reach the top of the climbs without the sprinters. I'll just try to do my best."
Whatever happens next Saturday, Milan has enjoyed a successful early season and can target specific cobbled Classics with confidence. He has won six sprints so far in 2026, while the likes of Olav Kooj and Tim Merlier have still to race due to injury.
"I think suffering this week wil help me at Milan-San Remo but also in all the Classics I ride," Milan said.
"It all depends on how far ahead my rivals are. We've seen lots of riders are going well and we all know their names. As well as Milan-San Remo, I'm also riding Gent-Wevelgem, Dwars door Vlaanderen and then Paris-Roubaix. I have some chances beyond Milan-San Remo."
