Van Aert and Ewan ready for Milan-San Remo after encouraging Milano-Torino
The oldest one-day race in Europe is this year used as a warm-up for the first Monument of the season
While Arnaud Démare took the victory of one race that headed out from Milan, Wout van Aert and Caleb Ewan will take their encouraging performances into the one that really matters, which starts on Saturday.
The Frenchman had the fastest sprint in Turin, benefitting from the flat finish rather than the uphill stretch EF's Michael Woods won on last year, holding off both Van Aert and Ewan, as well as Peter Sagan, to take the spoils.
Démare has already won Milan-San Remo, and will surely relish another win if his legs are firing at the weekend as they were today. But it will be the other podium finishers who are the likelier to stand on a sun-drenched top step looking out over the Mediterranean, and both are raring to go after strong sprints today.
"Yeah it was good, I wanted to be near the front in the last corner, I was right where I wanted to be, I got a bit unlucky because Sagan came around and Démare had his wheel...could have been better," Ewan said after the race.
>>> Here are the bookies favourites for Milan – San Remo 2020
The diminutive Australian has already won at the Tour Down Under as well as an uphill sprint at the UAE Tour, and should Philippe Gilbert fail to spring a surprise and claim his fifth different Monument, Lotto-Soudal will turn to their star sprinter.
"I looked at the new course...it's going to depend how other teams race on the first climb, I've done all I can [to prepare]."
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Meanwhile, it's another Belgian who's put down early markers since racing resumed, with Van Aert forcing himself past Sagan and into third place.
After taking victory in Siena at Strade Bianche, the 25-year-old, speaking in the third person, said this is maybe the best Van Aert we've ever seen. Today was the first bit of proof for that assessment.
"I didn't expect to sprint like this," Van Aert said. "It's good prep for Milan - San Remo. When you're in that position in the final corner but guys who are in front are the best in the world, it's a good result.
"Of course, I look forward to Saturday, let's see how things work out, it's a harder race than this one but sometimes it ends in a sprint, it's good preparation."
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Jonny was Cycling Weekly's Weekend Editor until 2022.
I like writing offbeat features and eating too much bread when working out on the road at bike races.
Before joining Cycling Weekly I worked at The Tab and I've also written for Vice, Time Out, and worked freelance for The Telegraph (I know, but I needed the money at the time so let me live).
I also worked for ITV Cycling between 2011-2018 on their Tour de France and Vuelta a España coverage. Sometimes I'd be helping the producers make the programme and other times I'd be getting the lunches. Just in case you were wondering - Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen had the same ham sandwich every day, it was great.