Racing
Noemi Rüegg nets a well-deserved podium in Sanremo
Second place for our EF Education-Oatly all-rounder after a committed team performance
March 21, 2026
Noemi Rüegg put in a gutsy display to take second place in the first monument of the season at Milano-Sanremo.
The Swiss rider was part of the winning five-rider break that formed on the iconic Poggio climb, with the EF Education-Oatly leader playing her cards perfectly when the race opened up. On the descent to the finish, Noemi marked her key rivals and took her turns on the front before keeping her cool in the sprint as the peloton closed in.
In the dash for the line, Noemi picked the right wheel too, sitting behind Lotte Kopecky as the Belgian rider opened up her sprint. Despite a powerful acceleration, Noemi had to settle for second place on the Via Roma, taking her second podium in as many years, and showing once again her class and competitiveness in the Spring Classics.
"It’s actually crazy. I don't know what to say. It was close. I wanted to win really bad but second in a monument is incredible, so I can be happy with that. It was a huge team effort. I was never alone in the race; everyone was so committed from start to finish. No team did this better than us. Super proud of the girls and thankful for their commitment and belief,” Noemi said at the finish.
EF Education-Oatly came into the race with high confidence after a strong start to the season that had already seen the team defend Noemi’s title at the Tour Down Under in January. In the first half of Milano-Sanremo, the team kept both Noemi and Cédrine Kerbaol safe in the peloton.
Then, when the race burst into life on the early stages of the Capi climbs, the team moved both riders to the front of the peloton. On the all-important Cipressa, Noemi and Cédrine were well placed thanks to excellent work from their teammates, and when the attacks opened up the race, Noemi was attentive and aggressive – marking moves and chasing down dangers before Cédrine put in her own attack 1.3km from the top of the climb.
Cédrine and Noemi avoided a crash on the descent of the climb and were still in the hunt when the final climb of the Poggio started, with Noemi latching onto a key attack from her rivals as the gradient started to bite. The Swiss rider made it into the key five-rider break that formed, and despite a frantic chase from the main field on the technical descent, Noemi and her companions kept the bunch at bay before the sprint.
We're proud of the way this squad rode all day. We know this squad will be fighting for one better next year.