This year’s Milan-San Remo is expected to be a battle between Tadej Pogačar and Mathieu van der Poel but in Italy they consider Filippo Ganna to be the third incumbent, a major contender and a potential winner.
Bicisport magazine has dubbed them the ‘Tre Tenori’, like the Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo and José Carreras opera singers. Each has a different style and presence on the biggest stage. Ganna, the ‘Gigante Piemontese’ hopes to use his raw power and time trial speed to again survive Pogačar’s attacks on the Cipressa and Poggio and then attack alone or finally beat van der Poel in a small group sprint up the Via Roma.
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Tadej Pogačar and Mathieu Van der Poel are dominating the Spring Classics but Ganna is able to challenge them, especially at Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix. In 2023, he was second behind solo winner Van der Poel after hoping that Pogačar would chase down the Dutchman when he attacked on the upper part of the Poggio.
In 2024, he was hit by a slow puncture and a mechanical on the Poggio and finished a disappointed 40th. Last year he hurt himself like never before to chase and ultimately join Pogačar and Van der Poel. He perhaps messed up his sprint, allowing Van der Poel a few metres’ advantage in the Via Roma but in both 2023 and 2025, Ganna beat Pogačar in the sprint, to confirm his true contender credentials.
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