"If we had a little bit more collaboration...": Filippo Ganna falls just short of surprising the sprinters after a late charge in Rome
Cycling
The final stage of the Giro d'Italia concluded in Rome with a bunch sprint won by Jonathan Milan, who beat Giovanni Lonardi and Paul Penhoet to the line. The 131-kilometer stage looked set to be a standard processional day until time trial specialist Filippo Ganna launched a dangerous move late in the race, disrupting the final kilometers before the sprinters' teams brought the peloton back together.
A late breakaway on the streets of Rome
Ganna, who already won stage 10 time trial in Tuscany, launched his attack with 18 kilometers remaining. He was quickly joined by Jasper Stuyven and Matteo Sobrero. However, because their respective teams had top sprinters saving energy in the peloton (triple stage winner Paul Magnier and Jonathan Milan), neither Stuyven nor Sobrero contributed to the pacing.
Ganna did the heavy lifting at the front alone, building a 20-second advantage with 10 kilometers left to go. Behind the trio, Unibet Rose Rockets and Tudor Pro Cycling took control of the chase to ensure a bunch sprint. The breakaway was ultimately caught three kilometers from the finish line, allowing the sprinters' teams to set up their leadouts.
Jonathan Milan won the final stage of the Giro d'Italia 2026
Milan takes the sprint as Ganna reflects on the move
Lidl-Trek, Unibet, and Soudal-QuickStep led the field into the final technical stretch. Milan proved to be the fastest, taking his fifth career victory at the Giro d'Italia ahead of Lonardi and Penhoet. After the finish, Ganna discussed his decision to attack and how the presence of his breakaway companions affected the final outcome of his move.
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"I wanted to try, obviously, and then Lidl and QuickStep wanted to follow my wheel. I'm very happy for Johnny," Ganna said.
"Maybe it's not the best final for me. Those two riders followed me, and for sure, if we had a little bit more collaboration or different riders, but this is the way it is."
Félix SernaCycling Journalist
Félix Serna is a writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2025. He covers professional cycling across both the men’s and women’s calendars, with a focus on UCI rankings, race developments, and rider performance. His work includes interview-based reports, liveblogs, and tournament coverage designed to provide clear, accurate context throughout the season.
In his reporting, Félix regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical reference. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. He holds a bachelor’s degree in International Studies.
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- 18 broken bones. 78 crashes, among 30 rider per year is a lot. so for a rider over 15 seasons, they will break their bones 7-8 times and crash 38 times.abstractengineer04-11-2026
- i dont think he is ready ot win against the top 2 or the 2nd rung of evenepoel, del toro , Almeida. In the third week in the TDF he was very very defensive, no attacks. i think he was exhausted. right now he needs time not the brutal Giro or the intense TDF.abstractengineer04-11-2026
- Rota is an excellent rider to get in a break with because he always does his turnchapmanesque04-11-2026
- That 3000 extra that the Tour de France is built up in the flat stages
Rafionain-Glas04-11-2026 - maybe this is something else they can protest in the streets of France.mij04-11-2026
- his Roubaix win was amazing. not to take anything away from him - arguably one of MVDP's wins was at the expense of a WVA flat - but so many things need to line up to get one of these. He had a perfect race with fewer bike issues on an attritional course. And crazy strong as usual. Glad he got this done.mij04-11-2026
- Orts was a super smart signing with the new rules regarding cross and UCI pointsmij04-11-2026
- yeah... you're right...PogiSloFans04-11-2026
- Podcast sounds great. Two so called experts stating the f*cking obvious.wrsty04-11-2026
- A mindset that reminds me of Tim Declerq. I loved watching that guy just pound away the kilometers, hours at the front, holding an entire breakaway in check on his own. Bjerg seems like a similar guy. Curling, the team sport.RidesHills04-11-2026
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