Jonathan Milan reveals major bike position change ahead of Giro return

The Italian sprint machine, Jonathan Milan, has a strong track record at his home Grand Tour, the Giro d'Italia, winning a stage in 2023 before taking three in 2024. On both occasions, he won the points classification, meaning that he has a 100% win rate when it comes to points classifications in his three Grand Tour appearances so far, a record he will aim to maintain heading into 2026.

With the 2026 Giro beginning in Bulgaria with a stage tailor-made for the sprinters, Milan outlined his ambition to wear the pink jersey upon his return to the race, whilst missing out on the Tour in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"The two things go hand in hand, but the Giro will offer me many opportunities, starting with the chance to wear the first pink jersey,” said Milan to La Gazzetta dello Sport. “And that doesn't always happen. The pink jersey, in my childhood dreams, was always there. Now it's not a dream, but a goal."

Milan’s sprint position is currently defined by his raw explosive power and sometimes upright sprinting stance compared to others. It’s a case of power over aerodynamics for the Italian, something that has been effective so far, with 25 professional road victories at the age of 25. 

However, the Italian revealed that he has made significant adjustments to his sprint position ahead of 2026 as it’s a key area that he believes he can improve in.

“Improving my positioning. And not because of the many comments I've heard, almost as if everyone is a biomechanic... We've talked about it a lot in the team, with the specialists. And I'm acting accordingly,” said Milan.

“We completely changed the frame size of the bike, widened the handlebars... This way, we're able to save a lot of energy, especially for the sprint, where you need to arrive as fresh as possible. And I'm able to stay much lower overall. I can throw my head down much more. This, you'll see, will be a clear difference,” added the Italian.

Despite a prolific season which saw nine victories for Milan, eight at WorldTour level, the Italian is consciously aware that he still has plenty of scope to improve, as illustrated by the bike position change, a frightening thought for most of his competitors. 

"Without a doubt, I try to improve every year. Training, working methods. Aerodynamics, the gym. In my mind, there's always the idea of taking a step forward. That's why I put all my effort into it. So, I'd say yes. Then, time will judge whether that was the case or not,” said Milan when asked if the best version of him is still to come.

In terms of the competition in the sprint field in 2026, Milan has picked out plenty of names that he believes are among the strongest.

"Besides me, [Tim] Merlier and [Jasper] Philipsen. [Olav] Kooij,” said Milan. “And others are coming, very strong ones. Like [Paul] Magnier, who should do the Giro. And [Matthew] Brennan. It takes realism, in short. If anything, you could say I'm cultivating the ambition to try to become the best."

Though one man stands out as the hardest to beat. "Tim Merlier," said Milan. "I really enjoy racing against him. He's a rival, but we congratulate each other if one wins or the other... We're always very close, he's a good guy, there's healthy competition. And, every time, the best one wins."

In sprint finishes where both were involved in 2025, Milan got the better of Merlier for victory on two occasions, at the UAE Tour and Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen, and the Italian will be hoping to increase that tally in 2026.