Race news

Jonathan Milan set to delay racing return after Renewi Tour crash

The Italian champion is set to miss the ZLM Tour after failing to fully recover from injuries sustained in Belgium.

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Jonathan Milan 2026 Renewi Tour stage 1
Tim Van Wichelen / Cor Vos

Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) is set to miss the ZLM Tour, despite being announced as the headline rider for the Dutch stage race less than two weeks ago. 

According to Ciro Scognamiglio of La Gazzetta dello Sport, sources have confirmed that the Italian champion has not yet recovered from the injuries he sustained in a crash at the Renewi Tour and will therefore miss the ZLM Tour, which takes place from Wednesday to Sunday. 

Milan was originally unveiled as the headline rider for the 2026 edition on the official ZLM Tour website on August 20, with the organisation highlighting his season to date, which has seen him score 12 victories. 

The most recent of those victories came in Diest on the opening stage of the Renewi Tour, where Milan delivered a statement, beating the likes of Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM), Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) and Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech). 

The Italian champion was involved in a crash on the following stage, and although he was able to finish, Milan was forced to abandon the Renewi Tour the following day after starting stage 3, and hasn’t raced since. 

In his absence, the ZLM Tour is set to feature the likes of Danny van Poppel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek), Nils Eekhoff (Picnic PostNL), and Zeeland-born brothers Mick and Tim van Dijke (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) based on the provisional start list.

The race kicks off on Wednesday with a 21km individual time trial in Kapelle before continuing through Zeeland and North Brabant.

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