INEOS Grenadiers confirm squad built around Ganna in bid for Milan-Sanremo victory

The British team head to Milan-Sanremo with one of the more dangerous outsiders for victory. Last year, Ganna managed to rejoin Tadej Pogačar and Mathieu van der Poel on the descent after the Poggio before sprinting to an impressive second place. He had already achieved the same result in 2023 by winning the sprint for second behind Van der Poel.

This season, the Italian again looks ready for his home Monument. The powerhouse won the opening time trial at Tirreno-Adriatico and repeatedly showed that his form is where it needs to be ahead of Sanremo. After Tirreno, he also made clear that he feels ready for one of his main goals of the spring. Even so, he will likely need to stay with Pogačar and Van der Poel deep into the finale if he wants to fight for victory.

Beyond team leader Ganna, INEOS have brought several riders who should be well suited to this race. Kwiatkowski, for instance, gives them a former winner at the start. The Pole won Milan-Sanremo in 2017 by beating Peter Sagan and Julian Alaphilippe in the sprint. Also included are the experienced Jack Haig and Laurance. The Frenchman should, on paper, be capable of handling this kind of race, although in previous editions he has not finished higher than 44th place.

Three Britons complete the INEOS selection. Ben Turner, Connor Swift and debutant Joshua Tarling will be tasked with delivering their Italian leader into the perfect position before the Cipressa, where the race is widely expected to explode. Within INEOS, Ganna should once again be able to count on undisputed leadership.