“I was worried I would crash too” - Jonathan Milan wins chaotic Tirreno-Adriatico finale after late drama hits Philipsen and Magnier

Jonathan Milan’s victory on the final stage of Tirreno-Adriatico 2026 came after a sprint finale that was suddenly thrown into chaos inside the final kilometre in San Benedetto del Tronto.

A crash in one of the final bends eliminated two of the expected contenders from the sprint. Paul Magnier went down heavily, while Jasper Philipsen also crashed but managed to remount. Milan was caught directly beside the incident and was forced to react instantly.

“I was also pretty worried to crash,” Milan said in conversation with Cycling Pro Net. “The crash happened just next to me or a little bit behind me, and I was also worried that I might crash as well. I had to brake and then come back.”

Being forced to check his speed so close to the finish could easily have ended his chances, but the Lidl-Trek sprinter managed to reposition himself quickly once the road straightened again.

“But after those two corners, I had enough time to move back into the first positions,” he explained. “I tried my best, and I found Eddie again, my teammate, and then he delivered me in a perfect way. Really, in a perfect way. I’m super happy for the work that he did for me.”

The crash drama was not the only moment Milan had to navigate during the stage. Earlier in the day, the race had briefly exploded on the climb of Ripatransone when Mathieu van der Poel lifted the pace sharply at the front of the peloton.

“That was a really tough moment for me,” Milan admitted. “I really tried my best. I knew that after the climbs we would have enough time to recover and to come back if I was behind.”

The peloton eventually regrouped once the race returned to the flat roads towards the Adriatic coast, allowing the sprint teams to reassert control ahead of the finishing circuits. “Luckily, we were able to catch them,” Milan said. “INEOS did a really big job, they closed the gap, and we managed it really well.”

With the race brought back together, and the late attack of Jonas Abrahamsen neutralised inside the final kilometre, the stage was ultimately decided in the expected bunch sprint.

For Milan, the result capped a demanding final day in which he had already been forced to endure both the pressure of the climbs and the chaos of the sprint finale.

Reflecting on the race itself, Milan admitted he is starting to develop a real appreciation for Tirreno-Adriatico. “I start to like it quite a lot, I have to say,” he said. “When things are going well, even more.”

Milan’s victory brought the 2026 edition of Tirreno-Adriatico to a close in San Benedetto del Tronto, rewarding Lidl-Trek’s persistence throughout a final stage that repeatedly threatened to slip away from the sprinters.