Tirreno-Adriatico stage 4: Jonathan Milan takes the win to deny Jonas Abrahamsen on the line

Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) snatched the win on stage 4 of Tirreno-Adriatico in a dramatic final sprint, with his bonus seconds also earning him the leader’s maglia azzurra worn so far by Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates).

Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) had to be content with second as Milan lunged for the line ahead of him.

The peloton caught Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno X-Mobility) with barely 100m to go, with the Norwegian the sole survivor of a six-man breakaway which had led the race almost from the gun.

Abrahamsen has past form in dramatic dashes for the line, coming third behind Kasper Asgreen and Pascal Eenkhorn on stage 18 of last year’s Tour de France as the breakaway held off the encroaching pack. Here he couldn’t cling on for victory but managed an impressive seventh place, with Corbin Strong (Israel-Premier Tech) coming third.

“I have to say thanks to my teammates, they did such an amazing job. I had a not easy day - I had a puncture on the climb, it was tough to come back into the peloton and the guys supported me in the best way. It was incredible, I have to say thanks to my team for this victory. This means a lot to me," Milan said at the finish.

“This morning I wanted this victory so, so much, and we did it all together. It’s not just my victory, it’s a team victory," he added.

Biniam Girmay (Intermarche-Wanty) came fourth, with Axel Zingle (Cofidis) fifth. Fellow sprinter Mark Cavendish (Astana-Qazaqstan) appeared to struggle throughout the stage, even with the hardest climbs behind him, and he dropped out of the peloton twice in the space of around 20km.

Read more: Chris Froome soldiers through Tirreno-Adriatico following crash and scans

Julian Alaphilippe managed ninth place, with Soudal Quick-Step’s main hope for the stage, sprinter Tim Merlier, suffering in the steep uphill sections in the final 13km and dropping out of contention.

How the action unfolded

Stage 4 took the riders 207km from Arrona to Giulianova, hitting the Adriatic coast, and over the race’s first – and highest – mountain, the 1,521m Valico di Castelluccio at the 69km mark. After another few bumps the elevation gained fell away as the race largely flattened out, making this another chance for the sprinters.

A six-man breakaway including Abrahamsen and Alexander Kamp (Tudor Pro Cycling) formed after the opening 15km of racing, with Kamp taking maximum KOM points at the summit of the Valico di Castelluccio. Lorenzo Quartucci (Corratec-Vini Fantini) was second and Davide Bais (Polti Kometa) third, both overhauling Richard Carapaz in the King of the Mountains standings and ensuring Bais at least had the green jersey to show for his efforts today.

Alex Tolio’s presence meant VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè had a rider in the break for two stages in a row, with Mirco Maestri (Polti Kometa) the final member of the group.

As the riders crested the day’s second climb at Forca di Presta, shaking their hands to get the blood flowing in the chilly spring weather, their advantage continued to grow as the peloton seemed asleep at the wheel. With their lead swelling to over five minutes at the 80km to go mark the peloton – conscious of the sprint potential of the finale – scrambled into action, leading to a thrilling chase with the seconds ticking by.

Mechanical problems dogged the stage throughout, with several riders including Ayuso puncturing and Magnus Sheffield (Ineos Grenadiers) going down – fortunately looking none the worse for wear – and requiring a bike change.

With 30km to go the three main engines of the breakaway – Maestri, Abrahamsen, and Kamp – made the jump, leading to a hair-raising finale as Lidl-Trek turned the chasing pack’s pace up.

With 10km to go Abrahamsen, Kamp and sole remaining breakaway survivor Mirco Maestri (Polti Kometa) had a lead of 31 seconds, with the chasers bearing down on them as the race swept through the final finishing circuit in Giulianova.

That lead was shaved down to 17 seconds at the 5km to go mark and only 12 seconds with 3km to go, as the peloton swung into view on the flat approach to the flamme rouge.

Another technical finish awaited - although fortunately despite its twists and kicks the peloton was saved any repeats of stage 2's late drama, when Philipsen and several others crashed on a 90-degree corner.

Read more: Tirreno-Adriatico stage 3: Phil Bauhaus wins as Jasper Philipsen crashes

As the finish hiked up towards the line Kamp dropped back and Maestri was quickly absorbed by the group, but Abrahamsen maintained the belief and pushed on. But it was not to be as the ciclamino jersey of Milan swept past him to finally claim top spot on the podium and with it the race lead.