Jonathan Milan makes it three, clarifying once again who the prince sprinter of this Giro d’Italia 2024 is. The Italian delivered his third masterpiece on the finish line of Cento, in the region of Romagna, annihilating all rivals once again. With each passing sprint, the giant from Buja seems to win with greater ease, greater consistency, and greater distance from the second.
Compared to the Francavilla al Mare straight, today’s finale was far more technical, more sinuous, with curves and counter-curves, making it one of the most unpredictable sprints of this edition. That made little difference to Milan, considering the ease with which he won both stages, also thanks to a lead-out train which seems nothing short of perfect.
Groves said this morning, “there is no doubt about it, right now Milan is the fastest and most powerful sprinter in the world, but we will try to put him in trouble“. And so they did, as the race descended into panic with around 60km to go. Amidst the general calm, Ineos Grenadiers decided to take advantage of the crosswind and swamped the front of the peloton, setting a searing pace strong enough to produce echelons in the pack.
Jonny was caught out in the second group and, in his eagerness to come across, he went as far as trying to close the gap on his own. It was sheer madness, even for a rider with his engine. For some twenty kilometres it seemed like his chances of going for a hat-trick were over, but his team managed to lead him back in the bunch to then concentrate exclusively on the sprint. “Something happens every day at the Giro” Tadej Pogačar said after the stage. And indeed it does. Hardly any stage ever goes according to plan, and that’s indeed what makes this race so special.
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