Plenty to celebrate at the Giro d'Italia

The final stage of the Giro d’Italia ended in a bunch sprint. Despite support from other team members, Jonathan Milan ran out of steam towarsd the end but he won both the points and the team classification plus two stages. Damiano Caruso is 4th on GC, the first Grand Tour of the season, so it was a successful start for Bahrain Victorious. 

Jonathan Milan has been wearing the Maglia Ciclamino  (leader of points jersey)  for almost three weeks since winning stage two of the race. He's since sprinted to achieve three more 2nd places. 

The young Italian's Merida Reacto was custom-painted to match his jersey for the stage in Rome. Yukiya Arashiro and Jasha Sütterlin set a fast pace and Andrea Pasqualon acted as lead-out man.  Sadly, Jonathan Milan timed his acceleration too early and crossed the finish line in 14th place having narrowly avoided a crash. Despite missing out on another top 10 result Milan won the points classification by a solid margin. 

The day after the Queen’s stage was won by Santiago Buitrago there was a spectacular mountain time trial. It started with a flat approach from Tarvisio on a narrow, winding cycling path and then headed for the climb to Monte Lussari, featuring an average gradient of 11.2 percent over a distance of 7.8 kilometers. There were several stretches with gradients of 20 percent or more. Much of the new, narrow road was built from concrete slabs that don't offer much traction. The terrain added to the action and drama on the penultimate day.

Promoted to the role of captain of Team Bahrain Victorious , Damiano Caruso had little chanced to improve on his 4th place on GC.  There was some serious competition but he continued to ride well, silencing all doubters on the way to Monte Lussari. He posted a new best time when crossing the finish line, ending up in 4th both on the day and on GC. Santiago Buitrago and Jack Haig rode confidently against the clock, helping maintain the lead in the team classification.

Winning the prestigious team classification for the Giro d'Italia for the second year running; the margin stood at more than 16 minutes by the end of the course. 

106TH GIRO D’ITALIA: POINTS CLASSIFICATION, FINAL STANDINGS
1. Jonathan Milan, ITA/TEAM BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS, 217 points
2. Derek Gee, CAN, 164 points
3. Michael Matthews, AUS, 101 points

TEAM CLASSIFICATION, FINAL STANDINGS
1. TEAM BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS, BHR, in 256:21.18 hours
2. Ineos Grenadiers, GBR, + 16.22
3. Team Jumbo Visma, NED, + 30.40

Photos: Sprint Cycling Agency