ProTeam Milan Menten's first victory of the season slips away after disqualification

The Romanian stage race concluded with a sprint stage in Sibiu. A breakaway group of eight riders tried to change that, but they were caught 15 kilometers from the finish, and the peloton headed for a mass sprint. In it, Milan Menten launched his sprint from very far out. He was well-positioned by, among others, Lennert Van Eetvelt. In the winding finish zone, he beat Italian Giacomo Nizzolo (Q36.5) and Canadian Roley Pickrell (Israel-Premier Tech).

Unfortunately, the euphoria quickly turned to disappointment, as Nizzolo filed a complaint, and Milan Menten was disqualified. Thus, he was denied his first win of the season. "This is a very bitter way to end the Sibiu Cycling Tour," said sports director Wesley Van Speybroeck. "Finally, Milan Menten managed to win again; he had been looking forward to this so much. The team set him up perfectly, he started from very far out, and won. Nizzolo then filed a complaint, claiming that Menten deviated from his line, but the footage disproved this, and the complaint was dismissed. However, the jury then decided that Milan had taken the previous turn too wide. We are of course disappointed with this decision.” 

Lotto Dstny ends its Sibiu Cycling Tour with mixed feelings. Lennert Van Eetvelt finished an impressive fourth in the overall standings, and Sylvain Moniquet moved up to fifth place today.

Picture: Sibiu Cycling Tour