“I am really happy with the result” - Jonathan Milan surprises in the opening time trial at Tirreno-Adriatico

Although many would have favoured Jonathan Milan to pick up a strong result at Tirreno-Adriatico, with several opportunities for the sprinters throughout the week, few would have expected a strong result from the Italian rider in the time trial on the opening stage of the race.

However, an impressive showing from Milan on stage 1 meant that he finished in third place, bettered only by the stage winner Juan Ayuso and his compatriot Filippo Ganna in the race against the clock.

The Lidl-Trek rider ran a negative split on the course, as he was down in tenth at the intermediate time check, but then used his immense power to overturn the deficit in the second half of his run.

This marks the best result for Milan in a professional time trial, as he said after the race that “I pushed hard, as much as possible. Considering the distance and how fast the course was, I can’t say I raced to win it, but I thought a little about it. In the end, yes, I am really happy with the result”.

Prior to this race, Milan had struggled with gastrointestinal problems during Opening Weekend, but now appears to have returned to full strength, as he stated “after a couple of days of rest and recovery, I worked to refine my condition once again to be ready for Tirreno-Adriatico. Today, came an encouraging response”.