While he hasn’t suffered as much as Marcel Kittel at Paris-Nice, Alexander Kristoff hasn’t been flying in the sprints either, with just one second place to show for his efforts.

“I need a little bit better form than I do now to hope to win at Sanremo,” the 28-year-old Kristoff told VeloNews at the start line Thursday. “I need to train a little more.”

The Norwegian has watched Bouhanni and Matthews beat him in France while the likes of Sagan, Viviani, Ewan and Gaviria all look red hot in the sprints at Tirreno. But the Katusha man says he still has time to train and get his form.

The rider says that his main goal is the cobbled Classics, especially his title defence at the Tour of Flanders.

“There’s still time to train before Sanremo,” he said. “There is still time to get the rhythm. The goal is to be in top shape for the northern classics.”

The Norwegian is probably the favourite for Milan-Sanremo, especially with the unfortunate absence of defending champion John Degenkolb. He won the race in 2014 and was runner-up last season.