Six names that could surprise in the finale of Milan-San Remo 2026

World champion Tadej Pogačar and defending champion Mathieu van der Poel. Maybe Tom Pidcock. A quiet hope in Belgium revolves around Wout van Aert. And in Italy especially with Filippo Ganna. These are the names that come to mind when we talk about Milan-San Remo 2026. WielerFlits, however, lists five names that could possibly surprise in the finale.

With Romain Grégoire, Groupama-FDJ United has one of the main dark horse favorites for La Primavera. Perhaps the young French dynamo won't stand alone in the finale. His team is also bringing Clément Braz Afonso to the start line. The 26-year-old climber is rightfully a late bloomer, having only made his pro debut last year. After a year of acclimatization, the contours of his talent are becoming clear. He has impressed in Italy in recent weeks and finished no lower than seventeenth in his last three races.

Without the ill Jonathan Milan and with the big question mark of Mads Pedersen (who is returning here from collarbone and wrist fractures), Lidl-Trek still confidently starts Milan-San Remo. It’s almost forgotten, but this race really suits Søren Kragh Andersen. Thanks to the Danish champion, Jasper Stuyven claimed victory in 2021. Kragh Andersen himself was ninth then. A year later he was seventh, in 2023 fifth, and the following year he helped Jasper Philipsen to triumph. Last year he missed this race due to surgery for a benign tumor.

Decathlon CMA CGM is impressing this preseason with strong collective performances. They come to La Primavera with several outsiders, including sprinter Tobias Lund Andresen and puncheur Paul Lapeira. The latter was one of two teammates who could support Paul Seixas in the finale of Strade Bianche. The other was Jordan Labrosse. The 23-year-old Frenchman is basically the same type as Lapeira, but slightly less talented and with more climbing abilities. Beat Pogačar and Van der Poel? Definitely not. Surprise with a top-10 spot? He was already eleventh in Strade Bianche.

Like their French counterparts, Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe also arrives at the start with a strong team but without a clear favorite. Fast men Danny van Poppel and Laurence Pithie are present, as well as strong climbers who can attack on the Cipressa and Poggio: Giulio Pellizzari and—surprise—Primož Roglič. The Slovenian veteran has only raced Milan-San Remo twice, with seventeenth place in 2022 as his best. In Tirreno-Adriatico and Milan-Turin, Roglič showed he still has a high level. In terms of explosiveness and downhill skills, he might just be the dark horse this Saturday.

At Jayco AlUla, this race normally revolves around Michael Matthews. However, the Australian star is sidelined with two broken wrists. Therefore, Andrea Vendrame—who has made a strong impression in recent weeks—and Mauro Schmid get the chance to make their mark. The Swiss champion was the man of the early preseason. In January and early February, he racked up one top result after another in Australia and the Middle East. If Schmid carries that form into Europe, he might slip away in a (chasing) elite group on the Cipressa and Poggio.

NSN Cycling also lines up with an interesting squad. In theory, Biniam Girmay should also be able to shine here, but perhaps in this edition he will act as a lightning rod if it unexpectedly comes down to a sprint with a reduced group. Then Corbin Strong will still be in the mix. The powerful New Zealander was seventeenth two years ago and twelfth last season. He climbs well and has a very strong sprint. He is similar in type to Girmay, but Strong will be targeted far less in the finale.