“It’s really nice to end this UAE Tour with this victory. Last year was pretty close to this – Merlier anticipated a huge sprint, and I wanted to do more or less the same, so I took a bit of experience from last year,” Milan said after his win.
The Italian launched his sprint inside the final 300 metres after a tense run-in, where the day’s breakaway was only caught inside the final two kilometres.
With the wind shifting to a headwind in the closing stretch and multiple teams jostling for position, timing proved decisive.
Fast and controlled finale
“Today was a super fast stage and also hard with the wind and the super strong break. We had to control it, and we did really well,” Milan explained. “I want to say thanks for the huge efforts my teammates did in this UAE Tour. We showed that we are one of the best trains, so I’m happy with the victories and also with how we did the race.”
The final stage was raced at more than 50 km/h on average, and although several teams contributed to the chase, Lidl – Trek gradually imposed order in the closing kilometres. Derek Gee-West was among those called into the lead-out effort before Milan delivered the finishing kick.
It marked Milan’s third stage victory of this year’s UAE Tour and the 30th professional win of his career. “I’m really, really happy for this achievement, and I hope to keep pushing and try to be the best in the next races of the season. Then we will see how it will end,” he added.