Former podium finisher in Milan-Sanremo Vincenzo Nibali has asked riders like Peter Sagan, Greg Van Avermaet and Fabian Cancellara to attack with him to stop the sprinters contesting the race.

“There are some important riders like Van Avermaet, Sagan, Cancellara that, like me, have to try something. Otherwise, there are riders like [Fernando] Gaviria, [Alexander] Kristoff, [Nacer] Bouhanni and [Michael] Matthews, who are superfast in the sprint,” Nibali said to La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“It’s difficult that something happens on the Cipressa but you can hurt the sprinters if we ride it hard and fill their legs with lactic acid. The 9.1km between the Cipressa and the Poggio are never ending. If you attack alone, they’re never ending. I died there in 2014.”

Nibali was initially planning to skip the race but his team and his fans have asked him to take part, and he has obliged them.

“I’m riding Milan-San Remo because it’s a beautiful race, because my friends, teammates and tifosi have asked me and because I hope to have a chance to win it,” he said.