Milan nets Giro 4th stage, Pogacar retains lead

AFP | New Delhi     

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Italy ’s Jonathan Milan emerged a popular home winner of the Giro d’Italia fourth stage yesterday with race favourite Tadej Pogacar retaining the overall lead.

The 190km ride from Acqui Terme to Andora on the Italian Riviera was marred by the race-ending crash of Eritrea’s Biniam Girmay.

While the man who created history as the first black African to win a Grand Tour stage, in the 2022 Giro, was taken off in an ambulance, Pogacar was safely in the peloton hunting down a two-man breakaway.

Pablo Munoz and Stefan de Bod had forged to the front early in the stage, but their time in the spot-light was numbered with the peloton relentlessly reeling them in.

They were duly swallowed up with 5km to go.

Filippo Ganna of Ineos Grenadiers was the first to attack, and he led over the final hill and down into the day’s final destination, the port of Andora.

But it was to be Milan (Lid-Trek) who took the bunch sprint honours, ahead of Australian Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and German Phil Bauhaus (BahrainVictorious).

“I have so many emotions now. I said from the beginning we came here with one goal for everyone so today the guys did an amazing job and it was such an amazing sensation to win here again at the Giro d’Italia,” said Milan, who was adding to his stage win last year.

All the top riders in the overall standings finished in the main pack and the general classification re-mained unchanged.

Pogacar, who crossed in 30th, holds a 46second cushion over his main title rival Geraint Thomas, with Daniel Martinez a further second back in third in the GC ahead of stage five, over 178km from the port of Genoa down the coast to Lucca in northwest Tuscany