A perfectly executed lead-out and a supreme sprint.
An exciting race emerged through the deserts of Saudi-Arabia, as heavy wind caused echelons. A group of two riders managed to stay away in the chaos of the echelons, but were caught back by the peloton at 20 kilometres to go. With 2 kilometres to go Lidl-Trek showed their dominance and started pulling the peloton to set up their lead-out. Simone Consonni did an impressive final turn, leaving Jonny with nothing more to do than finish it off.
Immediate race reaction…
A finale like this was a dream scenario! I am really happy with how we controlled the race today, from how we moved through the echelons to how we managed the finale. In the end it was a perfect lead-out, and I had to just do my sprint and do my best to win the stage.
I survived the echelons by just staying in the front. It was hard, but we had a bit of fun with them. Tomorrow will be a hard stage, and the finale will be a bit too difficult for me. I will be there the day after tomorrow to go for a stage win again!
I am really happy with a start of the season like this. I arrived here with a good level and a great condition an hopefully it will keep going like this for the remainder of the season.
Stage 2 in photos 📸
ALMANSHIYAH, SAUDI ARABIA - JANUARY 28: Jonathan Milan of Italy and Team Lidl - Trek - Green Leader Jersey prior to the 6th AlUla Tour 2026, Stage 2 a 158km stage from AlManshiyah Train Station to AlManshiyah Train Station on January 28, 2026 in AlManshiyah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
ALMANSHIYAH, SAUDI ARABIA - JANUARY 28: (L-R) Liam O'Brien of Ireland and Kristian Egholm of Denmark and Team Lidl - Trek compete during the 6th AlUla Tour 2026, Stage 2 a 152km stage from AlManshiyah Train Station to AlManshiyah Train Station on January 28, 2026 in AlManshiyah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
ALMANSHIYAH, SAUDI ARABIA - JANUARY 28: (L-R) Otto Vergaerde of Belgium and Team Lidl - Trek, Patrick Gamper of Austria and Jayco AlUla and Jonathan Milan of Italy and Team Lidl - Trek - Green Leader Jersey compete during the 6th AlUla Tour 2026, Stage 2 a 152km stage from AlManshiyah Train Station to AlManshiyah Train Station on January 28, 2026 in AlManshiyah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
ALMANSHIYAH, SAUDI ARABIA - JANUARY 28: (L-R) Jonathan Milan of Italy - Green Leader Jersey and Simone Consonni of Italy and Team Lidl - Trek during the 6th AlUla Tour 2026, Stage 2 a 152km stage from AlManshiyah Train Station to AlManshiyah Train Station on January 28, 2026 in AlManshiyah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
ALMANSHIYAH, SAUDI ARABIA - JANUARY 28: (L-R) Liam O'Brien of Ireland, Kristian Egholm of Denmark, Simone Consonni of Italy and Jonathan Milan of Italy and Team Lidl - Trek - Green Leader Jersey and a general view of the peloton competing during the 6th AlUla Tour 2026, Stage 2 a 152km stage from AlManshiyah Train Station to AlManshiyah Train Station on January 28, 2026 in AlManshiyah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
ALMANSHIYAH, SAUDI ARABIA - JANUARY 28: (L-R) Liam O'Brien of Ireland, Kristian Egholm of Denmark, Simone Consonni of Italy and Jonathan Milan of Italy and Team Lidl - Trek - Green Leader Jersey compete during the 6th AlUla Tour 2026, Stage 2 a 152km stage from AlManshiyah Train Station to AlManshiyah Train Station on January 28, 2026 in AlManshiyah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
ALMANSHIYAH, SAUDI ARABIA - JANUARY 28: (L-R) Liam O'Brien of Ireland, Kristian Egholm of Denmark, Simone Consonni of Italy and Jonathan Milan of Italy and Team Lidl - Trek - Green Leader Jersey compete during the 6th AlUla Tour 2026, Stage 2 a 152km stage from AlManshiyah Train Station to AlManshiyah Train Station on January 28, 2026 in AlManshiyah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
ALMANSHIYAH, SAUDI ARABIA - JANUARY 28: (L-R) Patrick Gamper of Austria and Jayco AlUla and Jonathan Milan of Italy and Team Lidl - Trek - Green Leader Jersey compete during the 6th AlUla Tour 2026, Stage 2 a 152km stage from AlManshiyah Train Station to AlManshiyah Train Station on January 28, 2026 in AlManshiyah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
ALMANSHIYAH, SAUDI ARABIA - JANUARY 28: (L-R) Edward Theuns of Belgium and Jonathan Milan of Italy and Team Lidl - Trek - Green Leader Jersey compete during the 6th AlUla Tour 2026, Stage 2 a 152km stage from AlManshiyah Train Station to AlManshiyah Train Station on January 28, 2026 in AlManshiyah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
ALMANSHIYAH, SAUDI ARABIA - JANUARY 28: Kristian Egholm of Denmark and Team Lidl - Trek competes during the 6th AlUla Tour 2026, Stage 2 a 152km stage from AlManshiyah Train Station to AlManshiyah Train Station on January 28, 2026 in AlManshiyah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
ALMANSHIYAH, SAUDI ARABIA - JANUARY 28: Otto Vergaerde of Belgium and Team Lidl - Trek competes during the 6th AlUla Tour 2026, Stage 2 a 152km stage from AlManshiyah Train Station to AlManshiyah Train Station on January 28, 2026 in AlManshiyah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
ALMANSHIYAH, SAUDI ARABIA - JANUARY 28: A general view of Jonathan Milan of Italy and Team Lidl - Trek - Green Leader Jersey, Daniel Skerl of Italy and Team Bahrain Victorious and Pascal Ackermann of Germany and Team Jayco AlUla sprint at finish line during the 6th AlUla Tour 2026, Stage 2 a 152km stage from AlManshiyah Train Station to AlManshiyah Train Station on January 28, 2026 in AlManshiyah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
ALMANSHIYAH, SAUDI ARABIA - JANUARY 28: Jonathan Milan of Italy and Team Lidl - Trek - Green Leader Jersey, Daniel Skerl of Italy and Team Bahrain Victorious and Pascal Ackermann of Germany and Team Jayco AlUla sprint at finish line during the 6th AlUla Tour 2026, Stage 2 a 152km stage from AlManshiyah Train Station to AlManshiyah Train Station on January 28, 2026 in AlManshiyah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
ALMANSHIYAH, SAUDI ARABIA - JANUARY 28: Jonathan Milan of Italy and Team Lidl - Trek - Green Leader Jersey celebrates at finish line as stage winner during the 6th AlUla Tour 2026, Stage 2 a 152km stage from AlManshiyah Train Station to AlManshiyah Train Station on January 28, 2026 in AlManshiyah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
ALMANSHIYAH, SAUDI ARABIA - JANUARY 28: Stage winner Jonathan Milan of Italy and Team Lidl - Trek - Green Leader Jersey reacts after the 6th AlUla Tour 2026, Stage 2 a 152km stage from AlManshiyah Train Station to AlManshiyah Train Station on January 28, 2026 in AlManshiyah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
ALMANSHIYAH, SAUDI ARABIA - JANUARY 28: Stage winner Jonathan Milan of Italy and Team Lidl - Trek - Green Leader Jersey reacts after the 6th AlUla Tour 2026, Stage 2 a 152km stage from AlManshiyah Train Station to AlManshiyah Train Station on January 28, 2026 in AlManshiyah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
ALMANSHIYAH, SAUDI ARABIA - JANUARY 28: Stage winner Jonathan Milan of Italy and Team Lidl - Trek - Green Leader Jersey reacts after the 6th AlUla Tour 2026, Stage 2 a 152km stage from AlManshiyah Train Station to AlManshiyah Train Station on January 28, 2026 in AlManshiyah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
ALMANSHIYAH, SAUDI ARABIA - JANUARY 28: Stage winner Jonathan Milan of Italy and Team Lidl - Trek - Green Leader Jersey reacts after the 6th AlUla Tour 2026, Stage 2 a 152km stage from AlManshiyah Train Station to AlManshiyah Train Station on January 28, 2026 in AlManshiyah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
ALMANSHIYAH, SAUDI ARABIA - JANUARY 28: Stage winner Jonathan Milan of Italy and Team Lidl - Trek - Green Leader Jersey reacts after the 6th AlUla Tour 2026, Stage 2 a 152km stage from AlManshiyah Train Station to AlManshiyah Train Station on January 28, 2026 in AlManshiyah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Jonny’s guide to the sprint…
We didn't have to go too early, because the bunch was pretty small, so it was quite easy to move up on this big road. We stayed more or less covered until the U-turn in the last 5 kilometers to go, or maybe a bit more, but in any case, our crucial point was the roundabout at 3.8km to go. There we had to start to move a bit more up but initially, I was not totally with the others, I lost them in the U-turn a little bit.
We had to be like always, Simo in front of me, then Eddy and Jakob. But in the end, they switched, because Eddy was more in the front, and Jakob was in front of Simone. It's really nice though, because these guys are really able to adapt themselves to the situation.
For the last two corners, we said it was important to take them all together in the front so we were could not be overtaken by the peloton. With 1 kilometre to go in the second last corner, the road is really big, so they could come back from anywhere. We hit the right side, to just have to control one side of the road. Simone was then front for the last corner and he had to keep bringing up the speed and he delivered me at perfect speed and in a perfect way. I think I went 180-150 meters from the finish but it was super fast, because the wind was coming from the back.
