Jonathan Milan has apologized to his Lidl-Trek teammates after failing to win stage 18 of the Giro d'Italia on Thursday, May 28, 2026.
The Italian sprinter finished third in the mass sprint behind French rider Paul Magnier and second-place finisher Jasper Stuyven.
The 168-kilometer stage from Fai della Paganella to Pieve di Soligo was largely controlled by Lidl-Trek, who set the pace to support their riders.
Initially, the team appeared to set up climber Giulio Ciccone on the steep Muro di Ca' del Poggio climb before switching focus to Milan.
General classification contender Derek Gee-West also contributed at the front to ensure a bunch sprint.
Despite the team's efforts, Milan found himself isolated in the final kilometer. "It was no easy day.
A big breakaway could go, it was no certain chance for a mass sprint. We tried to control it from the early stages," Milan told Eurosport.
Milan praised his teammates' work throughout the flat and mountainous sections to neutralize dangerous breakaways.
"The guys did a fantastic job, but I have to say sorry that I didn't get the result we went for.
After a fight like today you would have hoped for that," he stated.
Positioning Mistake Proves Costly
Reflecting on the final technical layout, Milan pointed to his positioning entering the final straightaway as the deciding factor.
"It was my mistake to take the last corner only in fourth position. I should have stayed behind Magnier and started sprinting from there," he admitted.
The result marked Milan's third top-five finish of this year's race, following a fourth-place finish on the opening day and a second-place finish in stage three.
However, the pressure has been mounting as the Grand Tour enters its final week without a victory for the Lidl-Trek sprinter.
"After the first week we had some good results, but we didn't achieve what we came for," Milan told Cyclingnews on Saturday, May 23, 2026.
He previously dismissed criticism regarding his lead-out train, attributing his shortcomings to the unpredictable nature of final-kilometer bunch sprints.
Milan expressed confidence that remaining flat stages would provide opportunities. "Rome will be 100 percent a sprint, but maybe there will be more chances.
We will see," he concluded.
The final opportunity for Milan and Lidl-Trek to secure a stage victory comes during the flat final stage in Rome on Sunday, May 31, 2026.
