'Tougher than expected' - Milan masters echelons in hard-fought AlUla Tour win

Jonathan Milan had to rely on his race craft as well as his raw power to win the opening stage of the AlUla Tour, which the Italian described as “tougher than expected.” 

Stage 1 in Saudi Arabia was defined by echelons, and although the entire peloton would have been acutely aware of the possibility of wind impacting the race, not everyone would be able to be in a prime position when needed.

When the race-defining moment occurred with just over 40km remaining, Milan was well-positioned at the front and, alongside his two Lidl-Trek teammates, Kristian Egholm and Jakob Söderqvist, he made the crucial selection of 18 riders that would stay away to the finish.

Milan was well aware of the potential for echelons, hence his positioning at the key moment, but he admitted that he thought things would be sewn together before the final sprint. In the end, the chasers never returned, and Milan sprinted to a hard-fought 26th victory of his professional road career.

“It was tougher than I expected. I was expecting some echelons, but then I was thinking that maybe it would come back together, and I was also thinking, in the end, that the big group would catch us,” said Milan. “But yeah, we had to push a lot to stay in front.”

The Italian paid credit to his two younger teammates, who helped keep the group clear, and also prevented attacks from getting away, such as when Timo De Jong (Picnic Postnl) tried a late move inside the final km.

“My teammates, they were really impressive, Kristian and Jakob were super strong, and they were out there in the front,” said Milan. “I also have to say thanks to all the others who supported me for the whole stage.”

With a reduced group of 18 riders, there were fewer numbers to control any potential attacks, and with Milan being the standout favourite for victory from the group, he knew that the onus was on Lidl-Trek to keep tabs on things.

“It was a bit tricky, you know, when there aren’t many in the front, you can always expect everything, maybe a little group of three or four, they attack, and then you’re not able to catch them anymore,” said Milan. “It was really good… and they delivered me into the perfect position.”

After getting off to a winning start in 2026, Milan will now look to keep the winning feeling alive with multiple opportunities during the remainder of the race

“I hope [for more stage wins]. We have some nice stages already tomorrow, and I’m just super happy and looking forward to it.”

In a recent interview with Marca, Milan outlined his ambition to surpass his tally of nine victories from 2025, which included two stages at the Tour de France, and the 25-year-old Italian is off to the perfect start in that quest.