"We were always in the perfect position" - Jonathan Milan hails a Lidl-Trek masterclass after Tirreno-Adriatico stage win

After his good friend and compatriot Filippo Ganna triumphed in the opening stage time trial, Jonathan Milan has now matched the feat of a Tirreno-Adriatico stage win with a powerful bunch sprint victory on the second day of action this Tuesday afternoon.

"We brought the experience from last year and put it [into practice] today," reflected the Italian powerhouse of Lidl-Trek in his post-stage interview afterwards, having survived a crash-marred day to dominate the final sprint ahead of Maikel Zijlaard. "The guys were just guiding me and leading me in the perfect way, how we thought about it. Today was just perfect, thanks to all of them. It was a beautiful day.”

As mentioned, in the final sprint for the line, Milan was a head and shoulders above the rest of the contenders. “Until the finish line you never know. I could imagine there was a bit of chaos. We were always in the perfect position, always covered, not losing that much energy in the wind. In the end I just said, 'As we plan it, we make it.' I’m super happy and proud of all my teammates," he concludes his analysis. "We are happy with this one, and tomorrow we will see. Let’s enjoy this one first."