"You can always expect everything" however Lidl-Trek thrive in controlled chaos to deliver Jonathan Milan to AlUla Tour win
Cycling
Lidl-Trek were the team to beat at the AlUla Tour today, however when strong crosswinds blew the peloton apart and left only three out of their riders in the 18-rider group up front, Jonathan Milan's victory was put into jeopardy. However, the German team held it together and the Italian managed to take the win that was expected to him.
“It was tougher than I expected. I was expecting some echelons, but then I was thinking that maybe it would come back together, and I was also thinking, in the end, that the big group would catch us" Milan said in a post-race interview. "But yeah, we had to push a lot to stay in front.”
With around 40 kilometers to go, so just under one hour of racing, the peloton split, with a large group consisting of fast men, half of them being pure sprinters, moved away from the main peloton. Tension was high and that allowed the race to stabilize into a more fixed position, as the front group would then work to try and keep the peloton away.
Lidl-Trek had two men with Milan, although the team was in just as good of a position as their best-featured rivals. “My teammates, they were really impressive, Kristian [Egholm] and Jakob [Soderqvist] were super strong, and they were out there in the front. I also have to say thanks to all the others who supported me for the whole stage.”
More chances to win
In the final sprint then, Milan managed to benefit from the work of Cofidis which took the group into a sprint following the late attack of Timo de Jong, and outpower his rivals. He is now the first leader of the race.
“It was a bit tricky, you know, when there aren’t many in the front, you can always expect everything, maybe a little group of three or four, they attack, and then you’re not able to catch them anymore. It was really good and they delivered me into the perfect position.”
Tomorrow, Milan will once again be the main favourite, as the peloton tackles another flat day. “We have some nice stages already tomorrow, and I’m just super happy and looking forward to it.”
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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