Italian cyclist Jonathan Milan powered to his second stage victory of the 2024 Tour de France, winning a dramatic and wet sprint finish on stage 17.
The 160.4km route from Bollène to Valence was widely expected to end in a bunch sprint, and it did — but not without chaos. Rain poured down over the final 30km, creating treacherous conditions that led to a crash involving key sprinters Tim Merlier and Biniam Girmay just inside the final kilometre.
With his main rivals down, Milan surged ahead in the final sprint, outpacing Jordi Meeus to secure the win. The 24-year-old Lidl-Trek rider tightened his grip on the green jersey, awarded to the leader of the points classification, extending his lead by 61 points and now holding a 72-point advantage over overall race leader Tadej Pogačar.
“This is an amazing team victory,” said Milan. “I survived thanks to my team-mates. Without their support, I wouldn’t be here. They delivered me perfectly for the sprint.”
Pogačar, wearing the yellow jersey, finished safely in the peloton and maintains his overall lead of 4 minutes and 15 seconds, with no changes in the top 10 of the general classification.
Earlier in the stage, a four-man breakaway held the lead until the final 4km, with the last escapee, Jonas Abrahamsen, being reeled in by the chasing pack. Milan’s Lidl-Trek team had worked hard to position him for both the intermediate and final sprints, after missing out on points during Tuesday’s stage due to poor positioning.
The challenging weather added to the intensity, making Wednesday’s sprint one of the last real opportunities for fast men before the race heads into the Alps. While Sunday’s traditional Paris finale usually favors sprinters, this year’s route includes the Montmartre climb late in the stage, potentially disrupting those plans.
Milan, making his Tour de France debut, had already celebrated a win on stage eight. With two green jerseys already to his name from previous Giro d’Italia editions, the young Italian is now looking increasingly likely to claim the same prize on cycling’s biggest stage.
“Some tough mountain stages are still ahead,” Milan added. “But we’ve had a lot of fun, and I’ll keep fighting to the end — especially for the points and that final stage.”
Stage 18 promises fierce competition as the race enters the high Alps, setting the stage for more drama in the battle for the yellow jersey.
