Italian cyclist Jonathan Milan triumphs in rain-soaked Tour de France Singapore Criterium, beating Biniam Girmay and Jasper Philipsen.
SINGAPORE: Tour de France green jersey winner Jonathan Milan conquered challenging wet conditions to secure victory at the Tour’s Singapore Criterium with a dramatic sprint finish.
The 25-year-old Italian outpaced former Tour de France points classification winners Biniam Girmay of Eritrea and Jasper Philipsen of Belgium on the final run to the line.
Girmay claimed second place while Philipsen, who won the Singapore race in 2023 and was runner-up behind Mark Cavendish last year, finished third.
Milan adapted impressively to the tropical monsoon conditions despite never having raced in Singapore before.
“It’s pretty special to be here for the first time and to bring home a nice result,” he said.
“I have to say that I was not expecting this weather.”
“The last couple of days were pretty hot, but today for the first hour of the race it was raining a lot and that can sometimes influence the race.”
“But the road was pretty good and it was clean and I was able to ride really well on the bike.”
Ben Healy attempted a breakaway at the start of the final lap in the 60-kilometre race.
The Irish rider was caught by the peloton just 700 metres from the finish line with Milan perfectly positioned at the front.
“The team did a really good job,” said Milan of his Lidl-Trek teammates.
“We had few attacks and with the last one, they closed the gap and positioned me for the sprint in a perfect way.”
The riders will now travel to Japan to compete in the Tour de France Saitama Criterium next weekend. – AFP
