The in-form German’s odds of winning Milan-San Remo were slashed dramatically when the Pompeiana was removed and it is hardly surprising given the results he has already achieved this season.
‘The Gorilla’ has been in excellent form, racking up stage wins in Adelaide, Qatar and Oman. Not everything has gone to plan, with Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEDGE) and Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) among the riders to have outsprinted Greipel this season, but when the Lotto-Belisol sprint train clicks into gear it is virtually unstoppable.
With Jurgen Roelandts (a contender himself) proving himself to be lead-out man par excellence and the Belgian team drawing comparisons with HTC-Highroad at their peak, Greipel certainly has the cavalry to succeed at Milan-San Remo.
Greipel has yet to make his mark on the first Monument of the season, finishing 58th and 52nd on his previous two attempts, but if he continues the form that has earned him six victories so far this season, this could well be the year to change that.
