Among the big Tour de France sprint names of Philipsen and Merlier, keep an eye on Cofidis' Milan Fretin

Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech) and Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) are among the strongest sprinters in the Tour de France, but you might not have heard of Milan Fretin (yet). The Cofidis rider is another fast Belgian who is looking to make his name known at the 2026 Tour de France. Fretin has been quietly knocking on the door for several years now, and has earned his team’s full confidence, with a full lead-out train at his disposal. He spoke to IDL Pro Cycling recently.

"For the sprints, we'll be fully focused on Milan," team manager Raphael Jeune said. "He can draw on the experience of Alex Kirsch, Piet Allegaert, Jenthe Biermans, and Benjamin Thomas to ensure he's in the best position to start the final sprint. We know this is essential to competing with teams like Alpecin-Premier Tech, Lidl-Trek, and Soudal Quick-Step.”

Like the riders mentioned earlier, Fretin also competed in the Baloise Belgium Tour, but without success. This was mainly due to a crash in the Copenhagen Sprint a few days earlier. “It’s been very hectic there the last two years. I raced there last year too, and we basically had the same scenario then.”

"We crashed in a different spot back then, but this is pretty much what you get in a WorldTour race with nothing but WorldTour sprinters," sighs Fretin, who came out of that crash mostly just a little bruised and scraped. “Races like that never really turn out well. You see that in Copenhagen, but also in Bruges–De Panne, for example.”

So what exactly happened during that crash, which wasn’t clearly shown on camera? “It was a blind turn, so we couldn’t really see what was happening. It all happened very quickly, but I do think some guys dove underneath. Braking at the last moment, and then, yeah, we just pushed each other off the track. Luckily, I managed to slip right through.”

In the weeks leading up to it, Fretin had actually made quite an impression, with podium finishes in the Heistse Pijl and the Brussels Cycling Classic. “I’m in great shape, so it was really just a matter of staying on track and focusing on the Tour.” This will be Fretin’s Tour debut, which is always a bit nerve-wracking in its own way. So the fact that it will take a few days before he gets to sprint doesn’t actually work out too badly for him.

"I think if you have to sprint right away on the first day of your first Tour... that’s pretty intense. Now we can ease into the race gradually. So I’m glad it’s not until day five. By then, we’ll have those first few days behind us, and you can adjust a bit. I remember from last year’s Giro: it took me a day or two to adjust to a new peloton before I felt at home again.”

Cofidis are investing a lot of time and effort in Fretin. “We have a strong lead-out train with Jenthe Biermans, Piet Allegaert, Hugo Page, and Alex Kirsch—riders with a wealth of experience. That’s also very important if you want to execute a good lead-out in the Tour de France—something that’s certainly not easy.”

"This season, Milan has already held his own against sprinters like Jonathan Milan and Jasper Philipsen," adds team manager Jeune. "Milan has secured a string of podium finishes throughout the season and was able to perfect his lead-out training during a three-week training camp in the Sierra Nevada in Spain. I have complete confidence in his abilities. There will be at least six sprint opportunities, and I know he’ll do everything he can to win,” concludes the DS, who is sending his riders to Barcelona with stage wins as their goal.