On a day when he set the all-time record for stage wins at the Tour de Langkawi, exceeding Graeme Brown’s previous mark of nine victories by one, Andrea Guardini has spoken of his future ambitions and confirmed that Milan-Sanremo is a major target of his.
The Italian sprinter will ride the race this year, although he sees it more as an opportunity to learn rather than being a realistic target this time round.
“[After Malaysia] I will go to Italy for one week to relax and to prepare for Milan-Sanremo, because it is my first very important race,” he told VeloNation today in a video interview conducted prior to the start of the stage. “I will go in Milan-Sanremo for teaching [me] about that.
“For the moment it is very difficult for me to try to win, but in a few years I think I can arrive at Sanremo [as a challenger],” he said.
Guardini’s programme is yet to be finalized, that fact due in part to his team’s Pro Continental status and the resulting necessity to seek wildcard entries from many events. However he believes he’s likely to do the Coppi-Bartali race in Italy, then most likely the Tour of Turkey as part of his building to his first Giro d’Italia.
He already told VeloNation this week that winning a stage of the Giro is a big target for his first Grand Tour.
In the video interview below, Guardini also reveals who his favourite sprinter of all time is. Surprisingly, the rider who inspired him as a youngster is not Italian…