Superb victory for the Italian, who crowns an excellent performance by the entire team: “Rewarding the work of my teammates is the most beautiful feeling for me.”
Mission accomplished! With a pure power sprint, Jonathan Milan won the fourth stage of Tirreno-Adriatico. Desire for a stage win drove the entire Lidl-Trek team who, from the morning, worked hard with the sole aim of putting Milan in the perfect condition to sprint.
The head-to-head with Philipsen (@GettyImages)
The head-to-head on the final straight with Philipsen (Alpecin) was the climax of a tough day through the Apennines, which led the race from the Tyrrhenian Sea towards the Adriatic Sea. The stage was animated by a breakaway that gave the peloton a lot of trouble until the very last meters, when the last survivor Abrahamsen (Uno-X) was caught by the sprinters in mid-flight.
But Lidl-Trek’s desire to bring the stage home with Milan was strong, as was Johnny’s conviction that he had more in his legs than a second place. The final result therefore rewarded the collective effort and highlighted the rider’s extraordinary (and still not fully realized) potential.
The hope now is that this is only the second victory (after the one at the Volta Valenciana) of a successful chapter with Lidl-Trek.
Teamwork! (@GettyImages)
Johnny's reaction
I had a lot of confidence in my chances for today’s stage, but above all it was the confidence that the team gave me that was the biggest boost to win. I want to thank them one by one, because today everyone was dedicated to my cause, everyone made themselves available to do the job. I gave my all, but without their support I would not have made it so well. This is not my victory, but 100 per cent our victory. Finishing off their teamwork is my job and it’s the thing that motivates me the most. Rewarding the work that others do for me is an incredible feeling of satisfaction, the most beautiful for me.
A big smile for Simone Consonni (©ZacWilliams)
Today’s finale was difficult, hard and super stressful. The victory was kind of a relief. It was something we wanted to take home since the beginning of the race, the reason I came to Tirreno. The results of the past few days were the springboard to tackle today’s stage with great conviction. My teammates put me in the perfect position, we wanted and deserved the victory.
It was a tough stage, not just the finale, which was covered at a super strong pace. That was the decisive moment, but we got there after a strong effort. The last kilometer was very hectic… Abrahmsen made our life hard. I had my eyes on Girmay and Philipsen. I was in a perfect position, I only had to put my best power on the asphalt.
Hat-trick of jerseys today for Milan: azzurra (GC leader), white (best young rider) and ciclamino (points) (©GettyImages)
I feel that I am still at the beginning of my journey. I have a team that believes in me so much, that supports me. The sprints go well for me, I know I can defend myself in short time trials and the Classics are my dream... where I can go, I still don't know and honestly I don't think much about it. My goal now is to grow, to work. Every race is a chance to learn. And sometimes you need to make mistakes to understand how to improve. Together with the team, we've started on a path together, we must persevere in this direction to refine the mechanics within the teammates, with my lead out. I am convinced we can achieve a lot of great things in the future.
The winning bike: Trek Madone (©ZacWilliams)
