Jonathan Milan (Bahrain – Victorious) won the first stage of the Tour of Croatia in a sprint on Tuesday, putting on the leader’s jersey at the same time, while Jonas Vingegaard, who had not raced since his victory in the Tour de France this summer, finished with the peloton for his recovery. In the pouring rain, the Italian (21) beat his two compatriots Sacha Modolo (Bardiani-CSF) and Mirco Maestri (EOLO-Kometa), after a final marked by the offensive of the Slovenian Matej Mohoric (Bahrain -Victorious), finally taken back 300 meters from the line.
Absent from a professional race since July 24 and his triumph on the Champs-Elysées during the last stage of the Tour de France, the Dane Jonas Vingegaard, 25, was at ease on the hilly roads of the Balkans, following the various attacks in the final to rank 17th in the same time as Milan.
However, he did not manage to get out of a peloton reduced to a bare minimum at the top of the Ludbreski Vinogradi climb (3.2 km at 3.9%). Another star to recover in Croatia, the Briton Geraint Thomas, third in the last Grande Boucle behind Vingegaard and the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar, finished in an anecdotal 94th place at 1 min 19 from the winner.