As it happened: Juan Ayuso wins Tirreno-Adriatico as Jonathan Milan dominates final sprint and avoids late crash

Hello and welcome to the Cyclingnews live report for the stage 7 of Tirreno-Adriatico 2025.

After the mountain finish of stage 6 to Frontignano, today's stage 7 passes mostly along the Adriatic coast. 

The 147km stage starts in Porto Potenza Picena and ends in San Bendetto del Tronto.

The stage includes a short and then a longer climb after 45km but then the riders cover five laps of a 14.5km along the seafront. 

We're expecting a sprint royale, with Jonathan Milan, Olav Kooij, Paul Magnier, Mathieu van der Poel, Sam Bennett, Dylan Groenwegen and other others, to fight for the stage victory. 

Juan Ayuso and UAE Team Emirates seem in control of the GC but there could be a battle for the mid-stage time bonus as Antonio Tiberi, Filippo Ganna and Derek Gee fight for the final podium places. 

Tiberi is second overall, 37 seconds down on Ayuso but Ganna is only one second down on his fellow Italian, with Gee at four seconds from Ganna. 

There's an intermediate sprint after103km, with time bonuses of 3, 2 and 1 second. 

There are also time bonuses of 10,6 and 4 seconds awarded at the finish but they will surely be swept up by the sprinters. Unless Ganna rides super aggressively.  

After a short neutralised sector, the stage is underway! 

Cyclingnews was at the summit finish of Tirreno-Adriatico on Saturday to see Juan Ayuso wins stage 6 and take the race lead from Ganna. 

It was a controlled and impressive effort from the young Spaniard, who appears back to his best. 

This is our stage report. 

Tirreno-Adriatico: Juan Ayuso wins stage 6 summit finish, takes race lead 

Mathieu van der Poel is one of the riders to try an early attack but he is soon caught.  

Perhaps the Dutchman is looking for a last hard day out before he rests up and prepares for next Saturday's Milan-San Remo.

We spoke too soon! Van der Poel has attacked again and other riders have joined him.

MvdP has four partners in crime in the break: Kévin Vauquelin (Arké -B&B Hotels), Lucas Hamilton (Ineos Grenadiers), Manuele Tarozzi (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè) and 20-year-old Britain Björn Koerdt (Team Picnic PostNL)

The peloton seems to be letting them go clear. 

Ineos have Hamilton in the attack but are also chasing behind, so the gap is down to 30 seconds.  

This was the race roll out.

The attackers are fighting back and have extended their lead to 1:15. 

115km to go

The van der Poel breakaway has extended their gap to 1:40. It's going to be a fast stage. Fortunately it's not raining on the Adriatic coast today. 

Tom Pidcock could throw himself in to the sprint today as he looks to win a stage.

He was second on stage 6 on Saturday but regretted not staying with Ayuso on the climb to the line.    

'My red zone was a little higher than I thought' - Tom Pidcock regrets another second place at Tirreno-Adriatico

Ayuso is sat safely in the peloton. It is up to the others riders and teams to race hard today, UAE can ride defensively.  

Ineos are still leading the chase, possibly showing their intentions with Ganna for the bonus seconds. 

They have Chris Hamilton in the break but he's sitting on. 

It's a big day of racing in Europe, with the final stage of Paris-Nice and the women's Trofeo Binda, one of the most prestigious one-day races in the women's WorldTour. 

We'll have live coverage of Paris-Nice and Trofeo Binda today, plus full race reports and then news and interviews.

The riders are on the short but steep Santa Maria delle Fede climb, which coms before the longer Ripatransone. Ineos are putting down big power and so reducing the gap to the van der Poel attack.

The Ineos pace is hurting some of the sprinter and other domestiques. 

Sadly Cian Uijtdebroeks (Team Visma-Lease a Bike) is distanced after his back problems returned on the climb to the finish. The young Belgian was in tears at the finish.

100km to go

Ineos have three riders leading the peloton for Ganna. The intermediate sprint is still 50km away and the gap is only 30 seconds. 

This is a big team effort. 

Mathieu van der Poel is on the front of the attack, it seems to be a MvdP- v- Ineos race for now. 

The Ripatransone climb has started and the peloton is lined out at speed. 

It is  8.4km long but has a gradient of just 4.7%. 

Ineos close down the attack buy MvdP goes again! He seems keen to test his form, having a good work out and  test his rivals. 

The road steepens and flattens as it passes through the fields and vineyards.

Gruppo compatto. MvdP is caughy by the Ineos express chase train.

The peloton is largely together but some sprinters have been dropped. Oav Kooij is just off the back with teammate Attila Valter pacing him.

The riders reach Ripatransone and so the last climb of this year's Tirreno-Adriatico is done. Now there is a fast descent and then the four circuits of San Benedetto del Tronto. 

Sadly Cian Uijtdebroeks (Team Visma-Lease a Bike) has abandoned Tirreno-Adriatico. 

Lets hope the young talent can resolve is back problems and lack of power.

Kooij gets back onto the Ineos-driven peloton after an intense chase with three teammates. 

Crash! Paul Magnier goes down at speed. 

Fortunately he is not hurt, gets up and chases. He was riding with several teammates to get back to the peloton but slipped out on a fast curve. 

He seems to be in pain and is now suffering on the curves.

75km to go

Magnier is 1:15 down on the fast-moving peloton. That will surely hurt his chances for the sprint finish.

The peloton pass through the finish area in San Benedetto del Tronto with 72.5km to go. 

The roads are wet after a rain shower but the roads are drying out.  

Jayco and Picnic are chasing the peloton at 1:30 for their sprinters. Magnier is there too. However they face a huge task. 

With Ineos still driving the pace, it's logical to ask if they will ride hard after the intermediate sprint to try to give Ganna a better chance to fight for the stage win and so take a final time bonuses that could lift him to second overall.  

This was Magnier's crash. Ouch. 

The sprint chasers re in the team car convoy and that will help them get back to the peloton.

We spoke too soon, the UCI judges applied a 'barage' and pulled over the team car,s so there is no slipstreaming.  

65km to go

Contact and gruppo compatto. 

The sprinters catch the peloton, meaning that Groenwegen, Kooij and  Magnier can contest the sprint finish.

However they will all have take on Jonathan Milan. 

The 14.5km circuit has just four real corners as it goes up and down the seafront and the main road of San Benedetto del Tronto. 

It's a 55km/h kermesse finish.  

We're just one lap from the intermediate sprint. 

Fortunately riding the laps allows the peloton to study the finish five times. 

Every detail of the chicane with 750m to go and the narrow roads will be vital.

Jonathan Milan is chasing back to the peloton after taking a natural break. 

Milan lost lead out man Simone Consonni due to crash injuries and so Lidl-Trek will have to redesign their leadout out. Either Jasper Stuyven or Ed Theuns will act as his leadout man. 

50km to go

The pace is high but constant now. The intermediate sprint is at 43.6km to go and the next key point in the race.

Here is Ganna as he prepares to fight for a GC podium place.

Ganna has four riders ahead of him on the front of the peloton. The other sprint teams are gathering near the front too.  

3.5km to the intermediate sprint! 

Here we go!  

Ineos up the speed for the intermediate sprint.

Milan and Lidl-Trek also wants to sprint, while Bahrain Victorious are there trying to defend Tiberi's second place on GC and stop Ganna getting that vital time bonus. 

Through the chicane!

There was tension between Ineos and Bahrain. 

Milan lead out the sprint for Ganna, then kicked again to take second place. 

Tiberi was there too in third but Ganna took 3 seconds, Milan 2 and Tiberi 1 second. 

That mens that Ganna will move up to second overall, if the stage ends in a sprint and all the riders finish in the same time.

Milan was a huge help for Ganna and so we expected Ganna to help Milan in the lead out for the final sprint. 

Milan also gained from the intermediate sprint. He took enough points to take back the virtual lead in the points jersey competition.  

40km to go

Now it's almost time for the final sprint finish. Thee final 40km will fly by. 

This was the intermediate sprint

30km to go

Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier is doing the early pacing for Lidl-Trek and Milan.

Visma riders are also riding to help Kooij. 

30km to go

There are two laps to race now. 

Here's Juan Ayuso sitting safely in the peloton.

Visma and Lidl-Trek are sharing the work on the front, as other teams prepare their lead out trains. We can see the Tudor black jerseys gathering neat the front too. 

There are three Visma riders swapping off with Ghebreigzabhier, with Lidl-Trek tucked in behind them. 

Juan Ayuso is just behind, staying safe with several UAE teammates.

The winner's Trident trophy awaits Ayuso.

Puncture for Tudor's sprinter Maikel Zijlaard. 

He takes a new bike and is in the team car convoy.

15km to go

The pace is rising more and more. We can see it from the riders faces. 

The bell rings out. There are just 14.5km to go. 

Visma seem determined to take control of the lead out but it is a little early to be on the front. 

On the wide seafront boulevard, other teams move up and create their sprint line-outs. 

This is going to fast and furious but can anyone beat Jonathan Milan?  

Dylan Groenewegen is still hidden in the peloton. That's a risky strategy but perhaps he plans to dive up to the front very soon.

8km to go

Tudor and UAE line-out the peloton.

In a flash, as the road widens, Groenwegen is up near the front.

The tension rises as Milan and Magnier bump shoulders. 

There will be a sprint to the last right turn that leads under the railway tracks and then the final right turn. 

After that it is 2.5km to go, with the chicane at 750m to go. 

Jayco are riding down the middle, with Israel now don the right and Visma on the left.  

Tudor and Lidl also surge down the middle. This is fast! 

Here comes Uno-X for Cort.

3km to go

Tudor have the front.

Some riders go wide on the right turn!

Visma lead through the second right turn.

The corners have shuffled the peloton and lead out trains. 

Jayco hit the front. 

Here we go! 

Here comes Ganna with Lidl-Trek behind them. 

Ganna is paying back from the intermediate sprint lead out. 

Milan is third wheel. 

Milan wins it! 

But there's a crash behind. 

Paul Magnier went down hard in the crash, with ohers crashing at speed too.  

Sam Bennett was an excellent second in the sprint, coming from behind to challenge Milan.

A Lidl-Trek rider also crashed.

Magnier's crash lead to other riders going down. 

Olav Kooij was thirds in the sprint, with Jake Stewart fourth.

Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) secured overall victory at the 2025 Tirreno-Adriatico, finishing in the peloton on the final stage in San Benedetto del Tronto.

Thanks to taking an intermediate time bonus, Ganna finished second overall, at 35 second. Antonio Tiberi was third at 36 seconds. Canada's Derek Gee was fourth overall at 42 seconds.

Jonathan Milan took his sixth won of the 2025 season.

"I'm super happy about this second stage victory. I have to say thanks to my teammates for the perfect leadout. I suffered on the climb early in the stage but we made it to the finish," Milan said. 

Here comes Milan.

Milan added: 

"I'm sorry that Jasper Stuyven crashed in the final and I've just seen the bad crash that happened in the last few hundred metres. I hope no one is hurt really badly. 

"It was a good Tirreno and I'm really happy we won this second victory after the crash I had. It wasn't super easy for me on the climbs in the last few days but we did it."    

Meanwhile, Juan Ayuso celebrated overall victory with his UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammates and his family and his dog.   

These are the result of the final stage of Tirreno-Adriatico from our friends at First Cycling.

It's time for the podium ceremony and Ayuso climbs on the top step, next to Ganna and Tiberi. 

Ayuso is the fifth Spaniard to win Tirreno-Adriatico. He is only 22 but is back on track as one of the best stage race riders of his generation.

Ayuso will lead UAE Team Emirates at the Giro d'Italia and seems on track to be a contender for maglia rosa.

Milan is back on the podium as the winner of the cyclamen-coloured points jersey. Ayuso won the best young rider white jersey and Manuele Tarozzi (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè) won the green mountains jersey.

This was the moment Milan hit the line to win his second stage. 

Ayuso took the Tirreno-Adriatico trident trophy. 

This is our full stage report, with the results and a photo gallery.

Tirreno-Adriatico: Jonathan Milan wins high-speed bunch sprint on stage 7 while Juan Ayuso seals GC

We have more great photographs from the finish.

Thanks for join our full live coverage of the final stage of Tirreno-Adriatico.

Follow our live coverage of the final stage of Paris-Nice and the Trofeo Alfredo Binda. 

We'll be back with more live coverage soon, including next Saturday's  Milan-San Remo, both the men's and women's races.