Italy's Jonathan Milan sprinted to victory in the fourth stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico cycling race on Thursday to take the overall lead.

The Lidl-Trek rider finished just ahead of Belgian Jasper Philipsen and New Zealand's Corbin Strong after the 207 km run from Arrone to Guiulianova.

The 23-year-old Milan moves up from second before the stage to overtake Spaniard Juan Ayuso and pull on the leader's blue jersey with a four-second advantage.

"This is more than a personal victory, it's a team victory," said Milan.

"I owe it to my teammates who stayed by my side when it was difficult and who started the sprint perfectly."

He added: "I didn't expect to wear the leader's jersey but I'm going to enjoy it."

Friday's fifth stage is 144km long and features the demanding San Giacomo climb at 1,160m, twenty kilometres from the finish.

That could set the stage for Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard, fifth overall at 26 seconds off the pace, the ideal opportunity to attack.