Milan Storms to Victory
The fourth edition of the Tour de France EFGH Singapore Criterium saw a spectacular final sprint won by Jonathan Milan, who wore the beautiful green jersey he inherited from the last Tour de France. The Italian beat two other great sprint specialists and former green jersey winners, Biniam Girmay and Jasper Philipsen.
Winner of the intermediate sprint, Jasper Philipsen took the points classification. Very aggressive in the final, Ben Healy was rewarded with the combativity award. Jonathan Milan was logically the best young rider of the day, and his teammate Edward Theuns’ seventh place finish allowed Lidl-Trek to win the team classification.
AFTER THE STORM, THE SHOW!
The day got off to a perfect start with lots of entertainment along the route, including amateur races, the Tour de France EFGH Singapore Criterium: À l’attaque, which invited the general public to try their hand at the circuit usually reserved for professionals for the first time. Local cyclists were able to compete in men’s, women’s, duo and even folding bike races in tropical heat. When it was time for the professional races, a violent storm broke out, forcing the organisers to cancel the team time trial scheduled for the opening. However, the Tour de France EFGH Singapore Criterium was able to go ahead as planned, on time. Once the race got underway, the traditional breakaways followed one after another on the urban circuit bordering the magnificent Marina Bay. Domen Novak (UAE Team Emirates XRG) even pushed ahead on his own for a few laps before being caught up by a group that included two riders from the Singapore team, his teammate Adria Pericas and French champion Dorian Godon (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team). But the bunch didn’t want to let them pass at the front of the day’s only intermediate sprint. Jasper Philipsen had just enough time to take the lead to grab the points and secure a podium place, and already Ben Healy was launching a bold attack. Followed by Primoz Roglic, Belgian champion Tim Wellens, Ben O’Connor and Spanish champion Ivan Romeo, he formed a strong breakaway with less than 10 laps to go. As the bell signalling the final lap rang out, the Irishman from EF Education – EasyPost accelerated again, much to the delight of the crowd that had gathered around the finish line. But the task was too difficult, with the peloton not far behind and determined to fight for the win. With the long straight stretch along the bay leaving no chance for a breakaway, it was the sprinters who battled for victory in Esplanade Park, in front of the majestic National Gallery. At the end of a final sprint between the fastest riders on the planet, it was Jonathan Milan in the green jersey who crossed the line first, ahead of Biniam Girmay and Jasper Philipsen, the last two winners of the green jersey in the Tour de France before the Italian. Ben Healy was rewarded for his efforts with the combativity award, Jasper Philipsen won the points classification and Lidl-Trek won the best team classification.
JONATHAN MILAN:
With the season coming to an end and the holidays approaching, Jonathan Milan was keen to finish his successful year on a high note. “I was pretty excited about this race”, he said at the finish line. And he was apparently not the only one. “The weather conditions were a bit unusual, but from the start it was very fast.” The winner of the points classification in the last Tour de France was not fazed by the tropical weather conditions. “I’m a bit mixed. Sometimes I’m confident in the rain, sometimes less so. But today the road was clean and in very good condition, so even though it was wet, I felt good on the bike.” Today’s winner also knew how to adapt during the race. “In the intermediate sprint, I took a bit too much wind at the front and got overtaken. So this time I decided to stay in the slipstream and I think I chose the best one, Biniam (Girmay)’s, which allowed me to gain a real advantage in the final meters.” An advantage that allowed him to join Jonas Vingegaard, Jasper Philipsen and Mark Cavendish in the Tour de France EFGH Singapore Criterium winners’ list. The Italian champion shares this victory with his teammates, led by Carlos Verona, Hector Alvarez and Edward Theuns, who also finished in the top 10. “It was my penultimate race of the season and I’m happy to have achieved a good result here, thanks to my teammates. I’m happy with how our season has ended.” He has just one more race to compete in before taking a break, which will be in Saitama on Sunday 9 November.
