n a thrilling finish at the Giro d’Italia, Italy’s Jonathan Milan of Lidl–Trek secured victory in stage four with a powerful sprint, while Tadej Pogacar maintained his hold on the overall lead.
Milan, 23, narrowly crossed the finish line ahead of Kaden Groves from Australia and Phil Bauhaus of Germany in a bunch sprint, rebounding from his second-place finish in the previous stage where he was outpaced by Tim Merlier of Belgium.
The 190km stage, which stretched from Acqui Terme to Andora along the Italian Riviera on Tuesday, saw the peloton, including race-favorite Pogacar of UAE Team Emirates and Geraint Thomas of Ineos Grenadiers, reel in a small breakaway group in the final five kilometers, setting the stage for a predicted sprint finale.
Despite a late attempt by Filippo Ganna of Italy to break away, it was Milan who claimed victory on home soil after a close call the day before.
However, the race was not without setbacks as Eritrean rider Biniam Girmay was forced to abandon after crashing twice on treacherous, slippery roads.
Pogacar, the two-time Tour de France champion, remains in the overall lead, 46 seconds ahead of Thomas. Stage five, set for Wednesday, features an undulating 178km route from Genova to Lucca, promising another challenging day for the riders at the Giro d’Italia.