"Maybe I went a bit too early": Jonathan Milan frustrated again as Paul Magnier takes second Giro d'Italia win
Cycling
The sprint battles at this year's Giro d'Italia have a clear boss so far, and it isn't the rider many expected. Italian fast man Jonathan Milan came into the race looking to dominate after winning the green jersey at the 2025 Tour de France. However, the Lidl-Trek rider was forced to settle for second place yet again on Stage 3 in Sofia, as young talent Paul Magnier proved unbeatable once more in the final dash to the line.
A better lead-out, but a tactical mistake
On Friday's opening stage in Burgas, Milan lost his lead-out train in the final kilometers and wasted too much energy just trying to get back into position. This time around in Sofia, Lidl-Trek got it right. The team moved smoothly through the pack, and Milan was exactly where he needed to be going into the last kilometer.
He took the lead just before the final corner, which was his plan, but he later admitted he misjudged the finish. Magnier powered past him on the cobblestones in the last 100 meters, leaving Milan as the runner-up for the second time in three days.
"I think we improved compared to the last couple of days; we rode well as a team in the finale, and we held our positions in the final kilometers," Milan told RAI television after the stage. "We did what we wanted to do, even if the result wasn’t the one that we had wanted."
Explaining what went wrong in the final sprint, Milan was honest about his timing error. "Maybe I went a bit too early before the corner. I thought the crown of the last corner was a little bit closer to the finish, and I thought I needed to hit the right speed there to take the cobbled section from the front and then not get overtaken. But it didn’t work out that way. Maybe I should have waited a bit longer, and instead I went a bit early."
Paul Magnier proved to be the fastest sprinter once again
Looking forward to home roads
Milan came into this year's Giro as the clear top favorite for the flat stages, backed by an impressive recent track record at the Grand Tours: four Giro d'Italia stage wins, two Giro d'Italia points classification victories and two Tour de France stage victories.
With the Giro leaving Bulgaria and heading to Italy after Monday's rest day, Milan is hoping to finally grab a win on home soil. Despite missing out on the first two sprint chances, he remains upbeat about his form.
"I don’t know what to say, but from a psychological point of view, it’s not that I’m demoralised by these results, quite the opposite," Milan added.
"Tomorrow is a travel day and then bit by bit I’ll look to recovery, and I’ll try to win and enjoy myself. I’m starting to feel a bit better day by day. Maybe in the first two days I was still trying to open the gas a bit. But to be clear, that’s not an excuse, it’s just how I felt."
Read also
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.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- And we, what are we doing?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- And yet, it attracts people, even you. What’s more, it attracts the rival fanboys to fill cyberspace with endless pointless my hero is better than your hero blabla that’s all been heard before and only helps sell the site as an advertising platform. You know what the solution is but most can’t resist. No different than women who follow and discuss celebs through gossip magazines.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment