Jonathan Milan makes mea culpa
Jonathan Milan chews bitterly after second place in Padua
It could have been poker for Jonathan Milan, instead è it was encore for Tim Merlier, winner (after taking a first success in Fossano in stage 3) just ahead of the Friulian of the sprint that decided the order of arrival of the 18th stage of the Giro d'Italia 2024, from Fiera di Primiero to Padua of 178 km. At the microphones of 'Rai Sport', the Cyclamen jersey è took responsibility for the missed success.
"I am sorry becauseé my teammates gave everything to make me contest the sprint to the best of my ability – said the Lidl-Trek sprinter -. I però could not follow them, the fault è only mine. I caught some wind and lost the optimal position, I still gave my best but I could not win. Against a strong sprinter like Merlier, a mistake you pay for it by coming second".
The Giro will now stop in Sappada, with an undulating stage, and Bassano del Grappa, where the last mountain stage will arrive. The last chance to win a sprint, for Milan, will therefore be the final passerelle scheduled for Sunday in Rome, a 125-kilometer stage that, barring brave attacks, sees the final sprint as the most plausible scenario.
Milan has already won three stages in this Giro d'Italia: he triumphed in Andora on May 7 in stage 4, in Francavilla al Mare on May 15 in stage 11 and finally in Cento on May 17 in stage number 13. The 2000-born rider, a track Olympian in the team pursuit, had also won a stage at the Giro in 2023 (where he also won the same cyclamen jersey), imposing himself on the finish line in San Salvo.
