Johnny shifts into fifth and reaches second: Milan wins sprint
Mont Ventoux was once again the stage for chaos and immortality. Just ask Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step), who gave France a remarkable victory atop the "Giant of Provence" this Tuesday. Furthermore, Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) once again engaged in an intense duel, which once again ended in a sprint , with the yellow jersey taking the lead. Tobias Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility), who was in eighth place, fell to the ground after the finish line but is fit to continue. Vingegaard also fell, colliding with a photographer and suffering shoulder injuries. Another focus of the 16th stage was Nils Politt, Pogacar's docile companion, who prevented several riders from reaching the breakaway, such as Iván Romeo (Movistar) and
“Jonas really tried everything. They worked very well as a team and climbed very quickly. Fortunately, I didn't have the same legs as I did in 2021, so I'm happy with today [Tuesday] and this good performance. I managed to defend the yellow jersey as I had hoped this morning. I pushed myself to the limit at times, but today was just a climb, and it was all out from start to finish. It was a really tough day, especially after the rest day. It's another stage completed, and that gives me a lot of motivation for the coming days. Victory? The truth is, this stage didn't really interest us. In the end, with Visma's acceleration, we got very close to the front group. With 800 meters to go, we might have caught them if Jonas or I had accelerated again, but that's how things are. They deserved to fight for the victory,” said Pogacar after the stage.
"I'm happy with how I felt today and with the attacks I tried to make. I didn't gain time, but I gained a lot of motivation. We also wanted to do something in the breakaway. The team was incredible today. Everyone worked hard and gave everything they had. I had everyone's commitment, and I want to thank my teammates. Pogacar followed me in every attack I made, and I followed him in every attack he made. I don't know if I saw any weakness in him. At least that gave me motivation, and as I said, I'll keep trying," Vingegaard reiterated.
⚡Talk to the sprinters! They won't want to miss out, as this could be their last chance to raise their arms this year…
⚡Parole aux sprinteurs! Il ne faudra pas se rater, car ce sera peut-être leur dernière chance de lever les bras cette année… #TDF2025 pic.twitter.com/j3YdStjcGH
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 23, 2025
With the Pyrenees ever further behind and the Alps ahead, this Wednesday marked the likely last chance for the fastest men in the peloton. The 17th stage of the Tour began in Bollène and ended, 160.4 kilometers later, in Valence. Although not entirely flat, the stage was the most accessible of the third week, with "only" 1,650 meters of accumulated elevation gain. The two fourth-category mountain passes appeared before the final 40 kilometers. The approach to Valence proved easy, despite four roundabouts in the final four kilometers. The final bend appeared still a long way from the finish line, 700 meters away.
With Danny van Poppel (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe) now gone, as in previous stages, the breakaway formed early on, leaving Vincenzo Albanese (EF Education-EasyPost), Quentin Pacher (Groupama-FDJ), Mathieu Burgaudeau (TotalEnergies), and Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility) behind. After Louis Barré (Intermarché-Wanty) crashed, Abrahamsen took first in the intermediate sprint , with Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) once again leading the peloton, ahead of Biniam Girmay (Intermarché). At the Col du Pertuis, Ineos Grenadiers decided to step up the pace in the peloton and Romeo took advantage to launch a strong attack that split the peloton, leaving behind Milan, Tim Merlier (Soudal), Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco AlUla), Arnaud Démare (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) and Pascal Ackermann (Israel-Premier Tech).
???? There were 11 points left to take at the intermediate sprint. Jonathan Milan took them.
???? I will restore 11 points before the intermediate sprint. Jonathan Milan is not in charge. #TDF2025 | @wlcmagazine pic.twitter.com/V1uQTU7qh6
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 23, 2025
With the sprinters ' group a minute behind, Movistar continued to set the pace, but the regrouping occurred 77 kilometers from the finish line, after Lidl asked the peloton to slow down. Shortly after, Carlos Rodrígues and Tobias Foss (Ineos), Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor), Magnus Cort (Uno-X), and Paul Penhoët (Groupama-FDJ) dropped to the rear of the peloton, seemingly without impacting the race. The rain, which appeared on the approach to Valence, began to have an impact, forcing the cyclists to pay extra attention. 11 kilometers from the finish line, Abrahamsen attacked and split the group, holding the lead until the final five kilometers. At the entrance to the final kilometer, a crash threw Girmay to the ground. Although he didn't fall, Merlier was cut off and missed the fight.
The hardest fall predicted the sprint and the salvation of Merlier sliding between fallen runners. #TDF2025 pic.twitter.com/M46ptan14n
— Eurosport.es (@Eurosport_ES) July 23, 2025
Lotto launched the sprint , with Jonathan Milan immediately taking the lead and securing his second victory in this Tour, the 23rd of his career. Jordi Meeus (Red Bull) finished second, and Tobias Lund Andresen (Picnic PostNL) completed the podium. This victory also allowed Johnny to take an important step towards winning the green jersey, where he now has a 72-point lead over Pogacar (312 to 240), who arrives in the Pyrenees with a 4.15-minute lead over Jonas Vingegaard.
THE GIANT OF TOLMEZZO ????
Jonathan Milan takes his second victory in an accidental sprint in Valence. A tense but uneventful day for the general favorites before the Col de la Loze.
????♂️ You have seen it on @Eurosport_ES and @StreamMaxES . #TDF2025 pic.twitter.com/d17SwaPg8I
— Eurosport.es (@Eurosport_ES) July 23, 2025
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