In a rain-soaked, crash-marred sprint finish in Valence, Lidl-Trek’s Jonathan Milan powered to his second stage win of the 2025 Tour de France on stage 17, further solidifying his lead in the points classification.
The 24-year-old Italian outpaced Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) and Tobias Lund Andresen (Team Picnic-PostNL) in a dramatic finale, navigating treacherous conditions to claim victory on the 160.4km stage from Bollène.
The flat stage was primed for sprinters, but heavy rain in the final 30km turned the run-in into a slippery battlefield. A high-speed crash just inside the final kilometre took down key contenders. Milan, however, stayed upright, expertly positioned by his Lidl-Trek teammates, particularly Jasper Stuyven, who delivered him to the front through the chaos.
“I’m without words,” Milan said post-race. “It was a tough stage, and the team left me in the best position. I didn’t even know about the crash—I was so focused.”
His victory, following his stage 8 triumph, extended his green jersey lead by 72 points over yellow jersey wearer Tadej Pogacar, who finished safely in the peloton, maintaining his overall lead of 4 minutes 15 seconds.
Perfect positioning and timing from Milan 🚀
Lidl-Trek rider Jonathan Milan won Stage 17 of the Tour de France after avoiding a late crash.
𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁
1 Milan
2 Meeus
3 Lund Andresen
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🇫🇷 #TDF2025 pic.twitter.com/5WCmzfCevI— Velon CC (@VelonCC) July 23, 2025
