“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
Cycling
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.”
Milan rewards Lidl - Trek after late tactical gamble
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.
Rome brings relief after a difficult sprint battle
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.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- lol yeahmij08-11-2026
- I know, their headlines can be so misleading. Pidcock had a great season with 5 wins. and some solid 2nds. no reason to take away from that with a fake headline.mij08-11-2026
- You can clearly see the the posture change from slightly sitting to again out of the saddle while changing of gears in the video of the sprintabstractengineer08-11-2026
- He has already beaten Pogi twice in the TDF. the achievement is over. He cannot beat Pogi now and he only has a few years left at the top. Win Giro and compete in the TDF, maximise palmares.abstractengineer08-11-2026
- Just looked again at the photo. Yeah I stand by that. If MS had fallen over in Brands direction I don’t even think she would have hit her. You must be a UCI race commissioner. I’ll be sure to check my sock height should I ever see you on a ride. Looks like everyone else on here sees what I see.mij08-11-2026
- I said looking at the photo it doesn’t appear she deviated. Chill out, not stating my word is the final judgement. Just commenting that based on the photo I don’t see it. And BTW the Dutch coach even said she didn’t impede her.mij08-11-2026
- Blah Blah Blah !frieders308-11-2026
- MS said she was changing gears so that caused her slight deviation. Nothing was intentional.frieders308-11-2026
- How can you use a photo post incident to judge the incident itself (which is not hard to find if you’re prepared to invest the same amount of time in searching as writing that comment? It’s harsh but technically right even though this or worse is not always sanctioned in every race. The two things that went against MS (who unfortunately for her would still have won without making her mistake) are that it was not a bunch sprint where there could have been an overlooked incident or mitigating circumstances explaining a deviation. Everything was focused on just those 2, Schreiber was riding beautifully balanced which made her sudden deviation look unnatural stroke as if it could have been in some part intentional whilst she was slowly drifting ever closer towards the barrier to a point that would have reached obstruction level. In her defence, it might have been the realisation she was heading towards that that made her react suddenly and caused the deviation involuntarily. In any case, congratulations to her for the ride of her life, in people’s minds she will be credited for it.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Good boy Obviously doesn’t need that much help dealing with pressure, as some have suggested. Wiser (and humbler) than many far further along their careers. About offering him the moon, recently someone came up with an explanation of the downfall of a football great (either referring to Maradona or Portuguese Ronaldo) saying it was kind of normal after coming back from the moon, except that others, including some who actually did go to the moon like Armstrong (Neil in case anyone is too switched off to realise) didn’t go through any of the same motions after coming back. A lot of how you deal with situations has less to do with the situation than with your character.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
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