Jonathan Milan and Lidl-Trek came into the final stage of the Spanish race as favorites but, even when crosswinds threatened to cause chaos, they kept calm and in control ensuring they could deliver the Italian sprinter into the perfect position to power towards his first individual victory of 2025.
Jonathan Milan:
“It was a pretty tough stage and super fast with the wind and, at one point, it was getting nervous in the bunch with echelons starting to form but, we were in the front and ready for it. The Team put me in the best spot to sprint and I just did my best so, I have to thank the guys for this. The wind made the day a little more special. It makes everything more nervous and a bit dangerous but it’s part of the sport.
“It’s super important [to start the season like this]. It was a goal for the season and I always like to come here as my first race. Yesterday, I was already feeling super good and so, I was really looking forward to today. I have to say we had a pretty nice week here together and I was happy I could finish off all the hard of the guys today with another victory for us. We also came to this race focused and with a GC goal with Vacek but, unfortunately he had a crash two days ago and today, he had to stop racing. Now, I am going to enjoy some rest and get ready for UAE Tour next week.”
Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana Stage 5 results
- Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) 4:02:26
- Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck) s.t
- Giovanni Lonardi (Team Polti VisitMalta) s.t
General classification after Stage 5
- Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) 9:14:30
- João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +18″
- Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) +39″
