Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard finished safely in the main leading pack as Italian Jonathan Milan won the second stage of the Tour of Crotia on Wednesday.
Bahrain-Victorious' Milan, 21, retains the overall leader's jersey after a photo finish showed he pipped compatriot Elia Viviani and Frenchman Pierre Barbier.
Dane Vingegaard, who won the Grand Boucle in July, dropped down from 18th to 22nd in the overall standings despite his comfortable finish.
???? #CRORace: Vincenzo Albanese ends 9th in a very fast and twisty stage finish
— EOLO-KOMETA Cycling Team (@EoloKometaTeam) September 28, 2022
?? Once again, the team did a fantastic job throughout the day
?? Jonathan Milan (TBV) repeats victory and consolidates the lead pic.twitter.com/j0HZyvsjR3
The Tour of Croatia is the 25-year-old's first race since winning in Paris and he is aiming to compete in the one-day Tour of Lombardy on 8 October.
Former Tour de France champion Geraint Thomas finished in 128th place, 2min 45 sec, behind Milan in Zadar on the Dalmatian coast.
Thursday's third stage is a 157km ride from Sinj through Split to Primosten, which also finishes on Croatia's west coast.
The race ends on Sunday in the capital Zagreb.