Rome crowns Jonathan Milan. The final stage of the 2026 Giro d'Italia closes with a victory for the Lidl-Trek sprinter, who crosses the finish line ahead of everyone in what he himself defined as "a Milan-style sprint" — powerful and launched.

For the Friuli-born rider, class of 2000, it is a relief after a Giro lived between hopes and frustrations. Multiple times he had presented himself in the sprint with the credentials of the favorite, multiple times he had missed the target by a whisker, a positioning error, the wrong wheel to follow. Today, on the streets of the Capital, everything went exactly right.

At the finish line Milan doesn't hide the emotion and weight of these three weeks: "We always believed in ourselves, we always supported each other, even if the results sometimes weren't what we expected. But you know, this is proof of supporting each other, in the race and outside. I have to thank the guys because it wasn't easy to be there and maybe, in one way or another, to miss the victory or even a podium finish. I'm happy to close the Giro this way."

The Friuli rider built the sprint with patience, waiting for the right moment to unleash his acceleration. "This is exactly a Milan-style sprint," he said with a smile. "I think the bike started to bounce. I like these finishes, I like winning in this beautiful city."

Milan revealed that important motivation came precisely from the previous stage: "I have to say something: yesterday my Friuli Venezia Giulia gave me a great boost, great motivation. I want to thank all the people who were on the route cheering for me and for us. It was special yesterday and special today. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful".

Beyond the sporting value, this victory has a particular significance for the morale of the rider and the entire team: "I think it's important as a victory in itself, but mentally it hasn't been easy. To always be there, not able to grasp something. At this moment the teamwork was important, even outside the race. I have to thank them too. After these three weeks, after this great day of collaboration, I owed it to them. I'm happy to finish like this."

The 2026 Giro d'Italia closes with the image of Milan raising his arms to the Rome sky, the reward for those who don't surrender, for those who keep believing even when results are slow to come. A lesson in resilience before anything else.