“Why do we have to find these complicated finishes? I really don’t get it” - Jonathan Milan slams Giro d’Italia after another crash-marred finale on Stage 6

Jonathan Milan was left furious after another chaotic Giro d’Italia finale ended with a crash, a ruined sprint and fresh questions over the race’s route design.

Stage 6 into Napoli had already been flagged as a nervous finish, with cobbles, corners, pinch points and the threat of rain all packed into the closing kilometres. When the rain began to fall near the line, the danger became real. Dylan Groenewegen crashed on the final corner after Unibet Rose Rockets had controlled the run-in, the sprint was completely disrupted, and Davide Ballerini came through to beat Jasper Stuyven for the stage win.

Milan avoided the crash, but the Lidl-Trek sprinter was caught behind the chaos and was in no mood to hide his frustration afterwards.

“Luckily I didn’t crash, I was able to stay on my bike,” Milan told TNT Sports. “But they fully crashed in front of me. It wasn’t their fault, we knew that it could be super slippery if it rains on this kind of cobbles.”

For Milan, the anger was not aimed at the riders who went down. Instead, his criticism was directed at the finish itself, with the Italian questioning why the race needed such a technical finale when rain had always been a possible factor.

“I really don’t get why we have to try to find these complicated finishes after,” he said. “I really don’t get it. We know it could rain, so why not just do a finish where it’s straight?”

The stage had looked set for a high-profile sprint battle between the likes of Milan, Paul Magnier and Groenewegen. Instead, the final corner reshaped everything. Groenewegen’s front wheel slipped away after Unibet had done much of the hard work in the closing kilometres, leaving the sprint scattered before it could properly open.

“With two drops of water, we have a huge mess,” Milan added. “I’m just disappointed because I was in a good position and I’m in good shape. It’s painful to see others sprint for the win and it’s painful to see other riders crash around you.”

Milan has been close several times already at this Giro, but Stage 6 became another missed opportunity for reasons largely outside his control. The Italian had survived the positioning battle, stayed upright and reached the finale in contention, only for the crash in front of him to decide his fate.

The frustration was clear because the sprint field had already endured a tense run-in through Napoli. The peloton had raced the rain into the city, with teams fighting for position before the cobbled rise to the line. Once the road became slick, the margin for error disappeared.

Ballerini’s win gave the stage a surprise outcome, but Milan’s reaction may carry just as much weight after the finish. At a Giro already shaped by crashes, abandons and repeated safety debate, his comments added another rider’s voice to the growing concern over how much risk is being built into Grand Tour finales.