The Friulian sprinter makes it three sprint victories, outwitting Hobbs and Romele, while Soudal-QuickStep fails to find the right mechanisms for Magnier
There's no stopping him. Jonathan Milan ( Lidl-Trek ) has scored his third consecutive victory at the Tour de Pologne , confirming his position as the true dominator of this Polish stage race. The Lidl-Trek team once again launched their captain perfectly, who with 200 meters to go made the decisive attack, leaving Noah Hobbs ( EF Education-EasyPost ), second at the finish, and Alessandro Romele ( XDS Astana ), third, without answers.
Chaos abounded at Soudal-QuickStep : Paul Magnier's planned lead-out failed dramatically on the final corner, leaving the Frenchman isolated from his teammates at the crucial moment. This tactical error opened the door for Lidl-Trek, who were left free to manage the sprint as they saw fit.
The 193.5 km stage, characterized by a rolling course, saw a six-man breakaway form around the 70th kilometer. However, the leaders' advantage never exceeded two minutes, and with 4 km to go, the peloton finally closed the gap, setting the stage for yet another Milanese show.
In the general classification, the Italian rider further strengthened his yellow jersey, now 18 seconds ahead of Magnier. Hobbs is also one to keep an eye on in fantasy cycling, climbing up the standings to within just 2 seconds of the Frenchman, firmly establishing himself in the top three and positioning himself as a serious outsider for the upcoming stages.
Photo: Spring Cycling Agency
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