VIDEO. Giro: new national hero, Italian Jonathan Milan wins a third sprint victory

Le coup du chapeau pour Milan. MAXPPP – LUCA ZENNARO

L’Italien Jonathan Milan a remporté sa troisième victoire en dix jours sur le Tour d’Italie en s’imposant au sprint vendredi 17 mai à Cento lors d’une journée paisible pour les favoris avant un week-end potentiel décisif.

At 23 years old, the Lidl-trek sprinter, capable of distinguishing himself in the classics too, is increasingly asserting himself as one of the new stars of’ rsquo;Italian cycling has been in depression for several years. Physique like a decathlete (1.93 m, 84 kg), Hollywood smile, the giant from Buja, who gave his girlfriend a kiss as soon as he crossed the line, has it all.

And, after first shining on the track where he will aim for a second Olympic title in team pursuit in Paris in less than three months, he is establishing himself more and more as one of the leading road racers too.

To the point of starting to scare the competition, like the Australian sprinter Kaden Groves, a client nonetheless but with words full of resignation before even taking the start: "I don't think so It's possible to beat Jonathan today, he's going through an incredible time.

The border didn’t bother him

A few hours later, Milan proved him right by raising their arms at the end of a flat stage like a flounder across the Po plain, vaguely animated by a publicity break of three Italians and a border shot from the Ineos team.

👑 Le roi du sprint : c'est 𝐉𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐧

L'Italien de Lidl-Trek remporte son 3e succès sur ce Giro sur la 13e étape #LesRP #Giro pic.twitter.com/6Fg7uniuHr

— Eurosport France (@Eurosport_FR) May 17, 2024

Trapped and relegated to a second peloton around sixty kilometers from the finish, Milan had to make some additional efforts to get back into the first group, without this preventing them from easily winning in front. the Pole Stanislaw Aniolkowski (Cofidis) and the German Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain).

"I am very happy and very proud of my team who did a great job to catch up with the first group during the edge shot", declared the winner who had already won the stages 4 and 11. This was the last opportunity for the sprinters before next Thursday.

Pogacar on RTT Friday

Now it's time for the riders in the general classification, in RTT on Friday like Tadej Pogacar who barely sweated in his pink leader's jersey during the health walk to Cento whose emblem is a shrimp.

On Saturday, the serious things will begin with the second time trial of this Giro, on a very smooth course of 31.2 km near Lake Garda between Castiglione delle Stiviere and Desenzano del Garda. Sovereign winner of the first stage in Perugia, Pogacar is less favorite this time.

"I'm less efficient on flat lines like a pancake like this one but I'm going to give it a try. Afterwards, it's not a question of putting yourself in the red because the next day it will be really hard, stressed the Slovenian.

"Monstrous stage" Sunday

Sunday, it’s indeed a frightening mountain stage that awaits the runners, 220 km for 5 300 meters of positive elevation up to Livigno via the San Zeno and Mortirolo glue.

"A monstrous step, on paper the hardest I'll ever do. We can expect big differences, believes Pogacar.

Featuring a comfortable lead of 2'40'' on the Colombian Daniel Martinez in the general, "Pogi" will have the opportunity to almost definitively close the race this weekend, even before the four mountain stages of the third week.