Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) won a reduced bunch sprint on stage 17 of the Tour de France as a large crash disrupted the finale in Valence.
Biniam Girmay (Intermarché–Wanty) was one of several sprinters that came down in the incident. Surrounded by his teammates, the Eritrean crept across the line clutching his shoulder and arm after initially receiving medical treatment at the roadside.
Milan was forced to rely on a one man lead out in the final kilometre after the chaos that unfolded due to the pile up. The Italian had enough firepower to hold off Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) and Tobias Lund Andresen (Picnic PostNL), who took second and third respectively, to take his second win of the race and extend his lead in the points classification.
The rest of the peloton came across the finish line in small groups after the crash blocked the road on the run in for home. There were no changes to the timings in the overall standings due to the crash happening inside the final five kilometres of the stage.
Speaking afterwards, Milan’s Lidl-Trek teammate Jasper Stuyven said that heavy rain in the final kilometres only added to the chaos.
"I saw the crash happen and I said on the radio that the sprint would be just ten or fifteen guys," he said. "That changed it a lot with no guys coming from behind. Jonny [Milan] didn’t really need to push too much, he could wait. He trusted me today, I knew I couldn’t do the lead out anymore but I put him in the wheel of Jordi [Meeus] and I think he then did perfect."
Quinn Simmons led the pursuit of a four man breakaway for much of the afternoon in a bid to ensure that Milan could have his moment. "It’s super nice to hear on the radio that he won after a full day of work," the American said. "I’m not a fan of racing in the rain, so I was quite happy to do the first 150km and then let the big boys do their work in the final, they nailed it."
How it happened
After the drama of Mont Ventoux, stage 17 was set to be a transitional day as the race continued to head towards the Alps. The peloton faced an undulating 160 kilometre ride - from Bollène to Valence - which included two category four climbs.
The attacks rained down from the moment the flag dropped as the stage started in aggressive fashion. Several breakaway specialists looked to jump clear of the main field before a four rider move eventually pulled out a gap - Jonas Abrahamsen, winner of stage 11 into Toulouse, was present, as was Vincenzo Albanese (EF Education-EasyPost), Quentin Pacher (Groupama-FDJ), and Mathieu Burgaudeau (TotalEnergies).
With 44 kilometres to go to the finish, the escape group began the second of the two ascents, the Col de Tartaiguille, with just a 45 second gap on the peloton. Wout van Aert then attacked off the front of the main field as the crest of the hill approached. The Belgian tore into the gap and soon found himself within touching distance of the leaders.
An uptick in tempo from Albanese in the breakaway meant that Van Aert struggled to bridge across to the leaders and make contact. As he floundered in no man’s land, Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek) brought the peloton back on terms with the lone chaser as heavy rain soon started to fall to add another challenge to the finale in Valence.
Abrahamsen led the break under the 20 kilometre to go marker as Simmons continued to lead the chase in the strung out peloton. Just 35 seconds now separated the two groups on the road. The wet weather meant that several of the GC teams, including Visma-Lease a Bike and UAE Team Emirates-XRG, moved their leaders to the front of the bunch in order to avoid any trouble as the finish approached.
With 10 kilometres to go, the speed dropped right off as the peloton and lead group navigated a series of soaking wet roundabouts. Abrahamsen then launched a searing move which pulled him clear again as his breakaway compatriots were caught. The big Norwegian was caught with four kilometres left as the sprinters teams began to wind it up.
A big crash disrupted the final kilometre after several riders went down on the rain-soaked roads, including Biniam Girmay. Jonathan Milan then came out on top to win his second stage of the race for Lidl-Trek.
The Tour de France continues on Thursday with a summit finish on the Col de la Loze.
Results
Tour de France stage 17, Bollène > Valence (160km)
1. Jonathan Milan (Ita) Lidl-Trek, in 3:25:30
2. Jordi Meeus (Bel) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe,
3. Tobias Lund Andresen (Den) Picnic PostNL,
4. Arnaud De Lie (Bel) Lotto,
5. Davide Ballerini (Ita) XDS Astana,
6. Alberto Dainese (Ita) Tudor Pro Cycling,
7. Paul Penhoet (Fra) Groupama-FDJ,
8. Yevgeniy Fedorov (Kaz) XDS Astana, all same time
9. Clement Russo (Fra) Groupama-FDJ, +6s
10. Jasper Stuyven (Bel) Lidl-Trek, +9s
General classification after stage 17
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates-XRG, in 61:50:16
2. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Visma-Lease a Bike, +4:15
3. Florian Lipowitz (Ger) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, +9:03
4. Oscar Onley (Gbr) Pinic-PostNL, +11:04
5. Primož Roglič (Slo) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, +11:42
6. Kévin Vaquelin (Fra) Arkéa-B&B Hotels, +13:20
7. Felix Gall (Aut) Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, +14:50
8. Tobias Halland Johannessen (Nor) Uno-X Mobility, +17:01
9. Ben Healy (Ire) Ef Education-EasyPost, +17:52
10. Carlos Rodriguez (Esp) Ineos Grenadiers, +20:45
