“I’m really happy I could pay them back with a victory” - Jonathan Milan finally ends Giro d’Italia frustration with last-day sprint win in Rome

Jonathan Milan finally found his Giro d’Italia release on the final day in Rome, ending a race of frustration and near misses with victory on Stage 21 as Lidl - Trek closed their three weeks with a badly needed sprint success.

The Italian had spent much of the race chasing a breakthrough that would not come. Paul Magnier had repeatedly denied the rest of the fast men and already wrapped up the points classification before the final stage, while Milan entered Rome still looking for his first win of the 2026 Giro.

That changed in the capital. After a tense final circuit, late attacks from Filippo Ganna, Matteo Sobrero and Jasper Stuyven were eventually brought back, before Mirco Maestri also tried one final move inside the closing kilometres. Once the race came back together, Lidl - Trek managed to put Milan in position for the final sprint.

This time, Milan finished it off. “I’m super happy to end this Giro in this way,” Milan said after the stage. “I’m really proud for what we achieved in this Giro. At the end of the day, we could say that we could do better in some stages, but we always give our best, we were always on the front, fighting and trying to achieve the biggest goal.”

The final stage did not fall easily into the sprinters’ hands. Ganna’s attack inside the final 20 kilometres briefly threatened to rip up the expected script, especially once Sobrero and Stuyven joined him.

For Lidl - Trek, Sobrero’s presence in the move created a useful tactical shield. With Milan waiting behind in the bunch, Sobrero did not need to commit fully to the attack. That left Ganna doing much of the work while the peloton tried to organise the chase behind.

Milan later admitted the situation was finely balanced. “With Cicco, we did amazing results and I’m super happy to make it today after the last two years of being here but not winning in Rome,” he said. “Sobrero had to cover the breaks and it was perfect to have him there with Ganna because we didn’t have to chase behind.”

The move was eventually neutralised, allowing Milan the chance he had been chasing throughout the race. After previous disappointments, he framed the victory as repayment for the work done around him. “It was perfect and I’m really happy that I could pay them back with a victory,” he said.

Milan’s win also gave Lidl - Trek two major reasons to celebrate at the end of the Giro. Giulio Ciccone had already secured the mountains classification after an aggressive race built on repeated breakaways and summit-point battles, while Milan ensured the team also left Rome with a stage victory.

The final sprint did not change the points jersey outcome, with Magnier already safe in the maglia ciclamino, but it did alter the feel of Milan’s race. Without a win, his Giro would have been defined by frustration and missed chances. With Rome, he closed it with one of the most visible sprint victories of the entire race.

Behind him, Jonas Vingegaard crossed the line safely to confirm overall victory for Team Visma | Lease a Bike, completing his Giro d’Italia triumph and joining the select group of riders to have won all three Grand Tours.

For Milan, the emotion was simpler. After two previous visits to Rome without victory and three weeks of chasing a sprint breakthrough, the final day finally delivered.