Jonathan Milan avoided a late crash in Valence to sprint to his second victory of this year’s Tour de France and strengthen his grip on the green jersey while Tadej Pogacar stayed safe in yellow.
Several riders went down in wet, slippery conditions entering the last kilometre of the 160km stage from Bollene, blocking the road and leaving less than a dozen riders to contest the sprint – and from their number it was no surprise to see the in-form Milan hold off a late charge from Jordi Meeus.
It was a victory Milan needed in the fight for the points leader’s green jersey as his advantage over Pogacar at the start of the day was 11 points, and given this could prove to be the last chance for the sprinters with the Montmartre climb added to Sunday’s final stage into Paris.
The late crash meant that general classification times were neutralised for those in the front group, allowing Pogacar to roll home still four minutes and 15 seconds clear of Jonas Vingegaard going into two big stages in the Alps.
Biniam Girmay was among the sprinters caught in the crash and the Eritrean looked in some discomfort after receiving treatment. Stage three and nine winner Tim Merlier, Milan’s major rival and the European champion, did not go down but was held up, unable to contest the sprint.
“I’m really happy, I’m without words,” said Milan, who credited his Lidl-Trek team-mates after getting through Tuesday’s stage to Mont Ventoux. “I didn’t survive alone, it’s always with the help of team-mates. Without all of this, I already would not be here.
“They also helped me when I was dropped on the first climb [on stage 17, the Col du Pertuis] and then on the second climb did a really good pace.
“It was a difficult final because of the weather and the roundabouts, I was a bit scared but they helped me and this is really fantastic, it’s really a team victory.”
In a Tour which has offered relatively few sprint opportunities, the fast men knew they needed to take this one. It was particularly the case for Milan, given the criticism directed at his team after they failed to fight for the points at Tuesday’s intermediate sprint before Ventoux, jeopardising his position in the green jersey standings as Pogacar narrowed the gap to 11 points.
Milan was dropped by the peloton on the first of two categorised climbs on this stage which had left open the possibility of a breakaway prospering here, but he recovered with the help of team-mate Quinn Simmons, who then put in another big turn to help reel in a four-man group up the road.
The last of those escapees, Jonas Abrahamsen, was reeled in four kilometres from the finish but by then rain was falling heavily, creating the treacherous conditions that led to the crash which effectively blocked the road under the flamme rouge.
Milan’s points lead ballooned to 72 points, but he will still need to target the intermediate sprints in the mountains to be sure of holding off Pogacar, who has a narrow opportunity to become the first man to win all three major classifications at a Tour since Eddy Merckx in 1969.
