Bitter Tour: Ganna Falls and Retires. Milan Stays Behind, Trentin Saves Himself

"I'm sorry, it was a great opportunity, the Yellow Jersey was up for grabs. I really believed in it, the sensations were good but I didn't succeed. I'll try again in the third stage". Jonathan Milan , the Lidl-Trek rider on whom Italy had bet all its cards on the streets of Lille, on a very nervous day, recited his mea culpa. It was up to him to break the fast at the Grande Boucle that has lasted since 2019 with Vincenzo Nibali, the last to win a stage. But he remained trapped in the group by the game of fans (to protect himself from the wind that was blowing sideways). So the sprint with the Yellow Jersey attached was taken by Jasper Philipsen, 27 years old Belgian , the quiet force, who took advantage of the work of his teammate Van der Poel (same script as the success at Sanremo 2024). On the podium in second place, Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) and Soren Waerenskjold (Uno-X-Mobility).

The Italian sore points continue, however, with Filippo Ganna , the first to retire followed by Stefan Bissegger, Swiss, who fell with him in the initial kilometers. The Ineos sports director explains: «Filippo suffered a strong blow, further tests should not be necessary. But he has symptoms of a concussion, it's no joke ». The best of the Italians is Matteo Trentin, 35 years old from Tudor, fifth and the only one in the top ten.

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Alessandro Petacchi: “Tour show, Pogacar will win. In Milan the first Yellow Jersey” Daniela Cotto July 4, 2025

Satisfied Tadej Pogacar. He stayed ahead without ever losing sight of Jonas Vingegaard. «Great job - he explains -. The focus is on the first nine days». The Dane of Visma is also smiling, having put on muscle and making Tadej understand not to fear him. On the other hand, there are long faces at Red Bull because Primoz Roglic is behind. «The boys slept», says the sports director Enrico Gasparotto. Behind also Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) who lost 49” from his rivals.