Jonathan Milan Triumphs in Giro d’Italia Stage Two, Mark Cavendish Impeded by Crash

By Monica Buck

Jonathan Milan of Bahrain-Victorious emerged victorious in stage two of the Giro d’Italia, as a massive crash within the final five kilometers prevented Mark Cavendish (Astana-Qazaqstan) and other top sprinters from competing for the win.

The incident occurred when Movistar’s Max Kanter and DSM’s Martijn Tusveld collided on a narrow stretch of road, impacting Cavendish and Trek-Segafredo’s Mads Pedersen. Despite the setback, Astana reported that Cavendish “is OK.”

The crash also had broader implications for the race, with Ineos Grenadiers’ Tao Geoghegan Hart losing 19 seconds to the maglia rosa, slipping from fourth to eighth in the overall standings. UAE-Team Emirates’ Brandon McNulty and Jay Vine also lost time, conceding 12 and 19 seconds, respectively.

Race leader and world champion Remco Evenepoel commented on the crash, saying, “It was a pretty nasty crash – we know who we can blame for this crash. That’s racing, but it wasn’t a nice move.”

Alpecin-Deceuninck had been working hard at the front of the peloton to lead Kaden Groves to victory, but the Australian was outmaneuvered by Milan, who, at just 22 years old, achieved the biggest victory of his career.

“It’s incredible. I cannot believe it. It’s my first Giro,” said Milan, a second-year WorldTour pro. “I could never have imagined that I would win today. The team brought me in the perfect position.”

Jonathan Milan (Ita) Bahrain-Victorious claimed the stage win, while Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal-Quick Step retained the overall lead after stage two.

Stage 2 Results:

  1. Jonathan Milan | Italy | Team: Bahrain-Victorious | Time: 4h 55m 11s
  2. David Dekker | Netherlands | Team: Arkéa-Samsic | Same time
  3. Kaden Groves | Australia | Team: Alpecin-Deceuninck | Same time
  4. Arne Marit | Belgium | Team: Intermarché-Circus-Wanty | Same time
  5. Marius Mayrhofer | Germany | Team: DSM | Same time
  6. Pascal Ackermann | Germany | Team: UAE-Team Emirates | Same time
  7. Fernando Gaviria | Colombia | Team: Movistar | Same time
  8. Niccolo Bonifazio | Italy | Team: Intermarché-Circus-Wanty | Same time
  9. Jake Stewart | Great Britain | Team: Groupama-FDJ | Same time
  10. Michael Matthews | Australia | Team: Jayco-AlUla | Same time

General Classification after Stage 2:

  1. Remco Evenepoel | Belgium | Team: Soudal-Quick Step | Time: 5h 16m 29s
  2. Filippo Ganna | Italy | Team: Ineos Grenadiers | +22s
  3. João Almeida | Portugal | Team: UAE-Team Emirates | +29s
  4. Stefan Küng | Switzerland | Team: Groupama-FDJ | +43s
  5. Primož Roglič | Slovenia | Team: Jumbo-Visma | Same time
  6. Geraint Thomas | Great Britain | Team: Ineos Grenadiers | +55s
  7. Aleksandr Vlasov | Russia | Team: Bora-hansgrohe | Same time
  8. Tao Geoghegan Hart | Great Britain | Team: Ineos Grenadiers | +59s
  9. Brandon McNulty | USA | Team: UAE-Team Emirates | +1m 00s
  10. Jay Vine | Australia | Team: UAE-Team Emirates | +1m 05s