Milan forced to abandon Renewi Tour after starting stage 3

Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) has abandoned the Renewi Tour during stage 3 due to injuries he sustained in a crash on stage 2.

The Italian champion, who claimed victory on the opening stage in Diest, was involved in a mass crash while wearing the race leader’s jersey, 67km from the finish on the second stage.

Milan was able to remount and complete the stage despite clearly struggling with his injuries, with Lidl-Trek teammate Simone Consonni dropping back to accompany him to the finish in Ardooie.

The pair had lost considerable time following the crash and were eventually caught by the peloton on the finishing circuit, effectively being lapped by the bunch.

Milan and Consonni were instructed to stop at the side of the road to allow the peloton to pass before being permitted to continue and complete the final circuit, as Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech) claimed the stage win and moved into the race lead.

Despite the injuries sustained in the crash, Milan started stage 3 on Friday. However, Lidl-Trek have confirmed that Milan has now been forced to abandon the race.

“Sadly, despite starting stage 3 with motivation to continue, Milan's injuries sustained in the crash yesterday have forced him to leave the race,” Lidl-Trek said.