The Italian Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek), already a winner twice in this Giro, won the 13th stage on Friday, which arrived in Cento after 179 completely flat kilometers. In the final straight, he reacted to the sprint launched very early by the Colombian Fernando Gaviria (Movistar) to easily win in front of the Pole Stanislaw Aniolkowski (Cofidis).
It is now obvious: Milan is indeed the best sprinter in the Tour of Italy and the cyclamen jersey will be difficult to remove from his shoulders. An almost anecdotal trophy that he had not necessarily envisaged at the start of the Giro, since his ultimate goal this year remains an Olympic medal with the Italian track pursuit team at the Paris Games.
Milan trapped by a border before coming back
In the meantime, the rider from Friuli continues his harvest on the road. Because, unlike the day before with the emotional solo victory of Julian Alaphilippe, after more than 120 breakaway points, it was difficult to imagine a similar scenario on one of the last days of the Giro promised to the sprinters. But this was clearly not enough to discourage the enterprising Italians Andrea Petrobon (Polti-Kometa), Manuele Tarozzi and Alessandro Tonelli (Bardiani-CSF).
Setting out on an adventure from the start of this 13th stage, certainly knowing that they were only going to offer television advertising space to their sponsor for a good part of the day, the three fugitives were logically recaptured 53 kilometers from the aim.
It was just after the big event of the day: an intelligent edge initiated by the Ineos Grenadiers team which briefly trapped Milan, favorite of the day, but which in no way disturbed the serene leader of the Giro, Tadej Pogacar.
Finally, after fifteen kilometers of effort and doubts, Milan and his teammates from the Lidl-Trek team brought the race back to its senses by making a junction which seemed for a moment very compromised. Following this regrouping, as was to be expected, a timid attempt at an escape took shape with Dries de Pooter (Intermarché-Wanty) and Martin Marcellusi (Bardiani-CSF), followed by a fall twenty kilometers from the he arrival where Nairo Quintana (Movistar) found himself on the ground.
But it was said that this 13th stage of the Giro should end with the predictable victory in the Milan sprint before an important individual time trial scheduled for Saturday between Castiglione delle Stiviere and Desenzano del Garda (31.2 km).
