Tour de France, Stage 8: Italian Jonathan Milan wins sprint in Laval
Italy's Jonathan Milan claimed his first Tour de France victory on Saturday, July 12, in Laval, after an eighth stage that, as expected, came down to a sprint. Meanwhile, Slovenian and three-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar retained his yellow jersey.
At the end of a very quiet 171.4-kilometer flat stage, the 24-year-old sprinter easily dominated the competition, ahead of Belgian Wout Van Aert and Australian Kaden Groves. His main rival, Tim Merlier, who suffered a mechanical problem around ten kilometers from the finish, did not participate in the sprint.
1. Jonathan Milan (LIDL-TREK) 03h 50 minutes 26 seconds
2. Wout van Aert (TEAM VISMA) | LEASE A BIKE03h 50' 26''-B: 6''- 3
3. Kaden Groves (ALPECIN-DECEUNINCK)4. Pascal Ackermann (ISRAEL - PREMIER TECH)
5 Arnaud De Lie (LOTTO)
6. Tobias Lund Andresen (TEAM PICNIC POSTNL) 7. Bryan Coquard (COFIDIS)8. Alberto Dainese (TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM)
9. Vincenzo Albanese (EF EDUCATION - EASYPOST)10. Stian Fredheim (UNO-X MOBILITY)
1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) 29 hours 48 minutes 30 seconds
2. Remco Evenepoel (Soudal – Quick Step) 3. Kévin Vauquelin (Arkéa – B&B Hotels) 4. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma Lease a Bike) 5. Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 6. Matteo Jorgenson (Visma Lease a Bike) 7. Oscar Onley (Picnic PostNL) 8. Florian Lipowitz (RedBull – Bora-Hansgrohe) 9. Primoz Roglic (RedBull – Bora-Hansgrohe)
10. Mattias Skjelmose Jensen (Lidl – Trek)
Stage 9 is scheduled for Sunday, July 13, with a 174.1 km route in Indre-et-Loire, from Chinon to Châteauroux, for a day that sees the riders approach the first mountain stages. A completely flat profile, without the slightest recorded difficulty, awaits the peloton. This finish in Châteauroux will give the sprinters the opportunity to express themselves.
"The teams planning a mass sprint will not be hindered by the hills in organizing their mission today. Vigilance will be required at the end of the course due to the changes in direction that could be exploited in the event of strong winds, but " Cavendish Avenue " is one of the straights that lends itself best to an academic discussion between the go-getters," explains Christian Prudhomme, director of the Tour de France.
La Croıx
