Trainer Jonathan Milan describes potential Italian sprint bomb: "I'd be happy to make that bet"

With his 1.93 meters (6.33 feet), Jonathan Milan is an impressive rider on the bike. In addition to his actual size, the Lidl-Trek sprinter showed lots of great things in the sprints this year. Milan won 11 times this season, making him perhaps the fastest sprinter in the peloton. In conversation with Bici, his trainer Mattias Reck discussed the qualities of "his" sprint bomb.

"It is clear that he has an incredible sprint," the Swedish trainer about Jonny begins. "What makes him even more special is that, despite being so tall and heavy for a rider, he has a very explosive momentum and can sustain it for a long time. Because he has such a powerful aerobic motor and high anaerobic power, he can maintain a very intense pace for a long time before sprinting." It is by combining those strengths that Milan can compete in the most challenging classics, according to his trainer. We already saw that this year at Gent-Wevelgem when the Italians finished fifth.

After Gent-Wevelgem, Milan finished seventh in Dwars door Vlaanderen; afterward, he didn't get further than 67th place in the Tour of Flanders. Reck said "future developments" must show if the big Italian can compete in the Tour of Flanders. "That race has had an extremely high climbing level in recent years, so I hesitate to make any predictions. However, Jonathan could be present at races like Sanremo, Gent-Wevelgem, and Roubaix."

Milan-Sanremo is a lot closer to home for the sprint bomb born in Tolmezzo than the classic spring in Belgium and also contains a lot less climbing. As such, Reck is convinced Milan could survive the Poggio and triumph in Sanremo. "Although that does depend on how difficult the Capo Berta and Cipressa climbs are going to be, on the wind, and of course, it also requires a bit of luck. That he can win one day is a bet I'd be happy to make."

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Milan won three stages in the Giro this year, also capturing the purple points jersey

Time trial might also become a priority for Milan in the future

In addition to his extremely powerful sprint and qualities in the classics, we saw Milan win a prologue in the Lidl Deutschland Tour earlier this year. According to Reck, Jonny's big engine could play a significant role in future trials. "Although that is not something we are specifically focusing on now. The goal should be to improve his strengths further and not focus too much on things that are not the highest priority."

Later in his career, though, a time trial could become a goal. "Then we'll see what he can do. However, shorter time trials, such as those of 10-12 kilometers, can already be completed at a very high level and suit his character. The point is that we can't even concentrate on tests of 35-40 kilometers. If we did, we might lose too much on other fronts," Coach Reck said.

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