Jonathan Milan heads into the Classics with a different mindset: “I feel I have a bit more confidence”

First up: Milan, who once again left his sprint rivals searching for answers in the United Arab Emirates. “It’s fantastic to finish this UAE Tour with a win here in Abu Dhabi,” the Italian said.

Milan explained that he knew the finale well. “Last year I nearly won, but Tim Merlier anticipated and produced a great sprint. I wanted to do more or less the same. I used a bit of last year’s experience to sprint to victory today.”

The 24-year-old now turns his focus to Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne. “The UAE Tour is also excellent preparation for the Classics. It’s never easy to win races, but I feel I have a bit more confidence than last year,” said Milan.

“We’ve shown we have one of the best lead-out trains. I’m really happy with the win and the way we achieved it. I’m also happy with my 30th professional victory. Let’s take this momentum back to Europe for the next races of the season.”

In Portugal, Ayuso completed the double. “I think it was a stressful, exciting day from start to finish. From the very first moment — from the intermediate sprint — my job was to keep an eye on Paul Seixas. He went for the sprint, so I had to respond. He tried to take a few seconds and I answered,” the Spaniard explained.

After that, his team had plenty of work to do. “I’m really proud of how the team reacted all day. We saw big attacks from very strong teams like Red Bull and INEOS, who tried to make their moves and put us under pressure. Thanks to my teammates, we handled it perfectly.”

“They tried to isolate me on the first climb of Malhão, but the team reacted perfectly. Lennard Kämna, Carlos Verona and Héctor Alvarez did an amazing job — they came back, made a huge effort, controlled the race and put me in the perfect position to go for the win,” he continued via CyclingProNet. “Normally I’d be proud of my own race, but today they deserve the spotlight. This victory is for them.”