2025 is a paramount year for sprinting in professional cycling with the opening stage of the Tour de France and the fight for the first yellow jersey set to be played out by fast men for the first time in five years at the Grand Depárt in Lille.
With that in mind, the UAE Tour becomes more important than ever, having become the yardstick for sprinters as the unofficial ‘sprinters world championships’ and to show who is the best in the world five months ahead of the main event in July.
For now, that status of being number one lies with Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek), having won the first two bunch finishes of the 2025 UAE Tour, and in vastly different fashions with a stinging uphill finale to Liwa Palace and the long, straight sprint into Umm al Quwain.
Tim Merlier (Soudal-QuickStep) was the dominant force in 2023 and 2024 at the UAE Tour and it was Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) who took home the most sprint stages the year before that. Alongside Milan, it's a trio that have established themselves as the undebatable three best sprinters in cycling, however, neither could come past the imperious Italian on stage 4 despite his early launch, holding on to win by a tyre's width in the three abreast photo finish.
"I think I started a bit too early but in the end, this throw of the bike here and photo finish makes me win," said Milan post-stage, before revealing that he was unsure he had taken the victory until he was told on the team radio and arrived at his waiting team staff.
"No, I did not know, I was thinking because I saw Merlier coming up on the left side really, really fast. I was waiting for the photo finish results and then they told me on the radio that we won."
Despite Milan's power again bringing him the victory, the lead-out he received was just as vital to the performance, with close friend and fellow Italian track rider Simone Consonni operating as his last man as he has done ever since Milan joined Lidl-Trek from Bahrain Victorious at the start of 2024.
As they entered the final kilometre on stage 4, Milan stuck to his compatriot's wheel as they followed two duos from Jayco AlUla and Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, before Consonni opened up his sprint and moved Milan into prime position for the final 200 metres.
It was slightly early but Merlier and Philipsen were positioned behind the big Italian, and on a headwind finish like there was in Umm al Quwain on Thursday, it's hard to come out of someone like Milan's wheel and pass him once you hit the wind.
Philipsen and Merlier did eventually come past Milan but they had also passed the finish line, with the timing as important as ever. While the Tour will be on Milan's mind throughout the season, there are closer goals at Milan-San Remo and the Classics that he is also building confidence for.
"These victories, they're giving, in general, a lot of confidence with this high level of sprinters here," said Milan. "I think we are having also a bit of fun during the day with the echelons. All in all, the [wins are] giving confidence and experience for the [Classics]. Milan-San Remo is a bit different with the [Poggio] final but we will also be ready at that moment for that."
The Italian's two victories on stage 1 and 4 are his first ever at the UAE Tour, however, this isn't his first appearance at the race. Milan has raced here twice previously, in 2021 and 2022 when he was at Bahrain Victorious, however, he only once cracked the top ten of a stage despite all the sprint opportunities.
It's easy to forget Milan is still only 24, with his gentle giant nature and calm, humble responses to questions that lack the arrogance of top sprinters from yesteryear. He's still a work in progress, admitting to reporters at January training camp that while his peak power is around a monstrous 1960 watts, he's actually looking to refine that power delivery and willing to sacrifice part of the ginormous number.
He's certainly vastly different to who he was in 2021 and 2022 racing in the UAE, with no more nerves in the sprint and having found a solution to his previous positioning problems - a Lidl-Trek train that he can trust.
"I think my first years at Bahrain, they were like growing years. For me, it was important to gain a lot of experience," said Milan when asked by Cyclingnews how he'd improved his positioning in the bunch.
"I was a bit more nervous in the finals, I have to say, to do the sprints and also to do the lead-out. [But] with time, you learn how to move, you learn how to help the other also in that moment and I think step by step you make it."
At this rate, it looks as though Milan may arrive at his debut Tour de France as the best sprinter in the world and favourite to take the first maillot jaune. He's got two more sprint opportunities in the UAE on Friday and Saturday to fully cement his position at the top of the fast men.
