Magnier also has his doubts, and Lidl-Trek are furious: 'This was bullsh*t'

Incredible but true: the flattest stage of the Giro d'Italia ended up going to the breakaway. The sprint teams badly misjudged the attackers — and so there was no stage win for Jonathan Milan and Lidl-Trek. Unibet Rose Rockets have already voiced their frustration, and the German squad has its own misgivings too.

Jonathan Milan was widely tipped as the sprinter to beat at this Giro d'Italia, but in the three stages that suited him, something went wrong each time. Twice he was beaten by Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step), and in Naples he couldn't contest the result after being caught up in a crash in the final bend. And stage 15 didn't go his way either.

The breakaway simply stayed away. Unibet Rose Rockets did the heavy lifting first, but when the gap refused to come down, Lidl-Trek joined in with everything they had. After Tim Torn Teutenberg and Max Walscheid — normally saved for the lead-out — had been burned, even GC man Derek Gee-West, ninth in the overall standings, was pushed onto the front of the peloton. It still wasn't enough.

Milan crossed the line in fourteenth place, a few seconds behind the winners. The disappointment was written all over his face in his Eurosport interview. "What can I say? The team did an amazing job, everyone worked. Even Derek. We did our best."

While Elmar Reinders had already hinted that a motorbike may have influenced the outcome, Milan was not willing to go that far. But was there a hint of cynicism in his tone? "It was quite impressive how fast the breakaway was going. We went full gas — everyone committed, pretty much every team. We tried."

Teutenberg, one of Milan's key domestiques, rode himself into the ground. It wasn't enough. The German was furious afterwards, and wasn't afraid to say so. "Everyone who understands cycling knows that it was a bit of a joke today. I don't know what the mission of the organisers was — they wanted to show how cars and motorbikes can influence a race. This was bullshit."