After the bunch sprint was turned on its head at the end of stage six of the Giro d'Italia by a section of damp cobbles in Naples, the choice of finish was called out by Italian sprinter Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek).
At least five riders slid out on the tight right-hander in sight of the line, including a well-placed Dylan Groenewegen (Unibet Rose Rockets) in second wheel and his lead-out man. Nearly all of the best-placed stage-win hopefuls either came down or were baulked, though Davide Ballerini made it through and sprinted ahead to an unexpected win.
Speaking afterwards, a disappointed Milan accused route organisers of prioritising "hype" over safety.
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"Luckily I didn't crash, I was able to stand on my bike," he said, his tone characteristically thoughtful – and disappointed too – rather than reactive and angry. "But they crashed in front of me. It's not their fault, I mean we know it will be super slippery if it rains on these kind of cobbles.
"I really don't get why we have to try to find these complicated finishes," he said. "I really don't get it, you know. We could think it could rain and maybe to be safe, like some years ago, we could go just straight. But no, with two drops of water we get a huge mess, and I'm just a bit disappointed because I was in a good position, I was in good shape and feeling good.
"But we have to try to look for these things, no? For a bit of hype maybe, sometimes. I really don't get it."
Asked how he felt about being unable to compete for the win, he said: "It was painful. It's even more painful to see riders crashing in front of you, you know."
Twice a winner of the ciclamino points jersey on the Giro d'Italia, in 2023 and 2024, and yet to win a stage this year, the pressure is clearly on the rangy 25-year-old. He has come close this race with a second place behind Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step) on stage three, but will no doubt rest easier once he has a '1st' next to his name.
Despite being only on stage six, there aren't many more flat opportunities for him to achieve that, with stage 15 to Milan being the next obvious chance, and the 21st stage in Rome being the second (and last).
