Key events
Show key events only
Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature
Points classification: top five
1) Milan 312pts
2) Pogacar 240pts
3) Girmay 179pts
4) Merlier 156pts
5) Vingegaard 150pts
“We wanted a sprint,” says Steven de Jongh, Lidl-Trek sports director. “It wasn’t easy but it was nice, a super job.”
What is the strategy for Jonathan Milan’s green jersey tilt on the way to Paris?
“The next two days we have to pick up the 20 points from the start [the intermediate sprints] … we have to remember that Tadej can pick up 50 points in Paris as well.”
Updated at 11.34 EDT
“It was super-nice to hear on the radio that Jonny won, after a hard day,” says Quinn Simmons.
“My girlfriend, this morning, was wondering why I was so nervous. I said: ‘If I have a really good day, I think I can set up a sprint for Jonny, and I think he can win.’
“I’m not a fan of racing in the rain … I did my work in the first 150km, and then let the big boys do the work at the end. It looks like they nailed it.
“He [Jonathan Milan] is one of those guys who is easy to suffer for.”
Updated at 11.28 EDT
“With the rain it was just a bit more chaos,” says Jasper Stuyven. “Hard day. They didn’t make it easy for us, but we moved at the right time … it was nice, Jonny trusted me today, but I put him in the wheel with Jordi, and I think he did perfect. With the rain, it was not getting easier, but it was a nice one. We have a unified team, one unit, all committed to the goal. It paid off.”
Biniam Girmay (Intermarché–Wanty) was one of the riders who crashed. It’s not been a happy race for him or his team. He rides over the line with a couple of teammates for company.
Lidl-Trek’s Quinn Simmons “was the man of the day” says Sean Kelly on commentary for TNT Sports. “He did so much work.”
Simmons now rides across the line with a teammate, looking very pleased, no doubt having had the good news over the radio. What a shift he put in.
ShareTop 10 on stage 17
1) Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek)
2) Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe)
3) Tobias Lund Andresen (Team PicnicPostNL)
4) Arnaud De Lie (Lotto)
5) Davide Ballerini (XDS Astana Team)
6) Alberto Dainese (Tudor)
7) Paul Penhoet (Groupama-FDJ)
8) Yevgeniy Federov (XDS Astana Pro Team)
9) Clement Russo (Groupama-FDJ)
10) Jasper Stuyven (Lidl-Trek)
Updated at 11.30 EDT
Jonathan Milan wins stage 17!
The green-jersey wearer takes it for Lidl-Trek! There was chaos on the run to the line with a big crash exactly a kilometre from home. Milan was on his own, but had more than enough in the sprint. Is that the green jersey secured for the Italian? That was his second stage win of this year’s race and he also won the sprint at the intermediate sprint, after the break had gone through.
Jonathan Milan (far left) takes the stage! Photograph: Sarah Meyssonnier/ReutersShare
Updated at 11.23 EDT
1km to go: Crash under the flamme rouge! I think Merlier is down. Milan made it through, do did De Lie and I think Groves. It was a big crash that took several riders down.
Updated at 11.14 EDT
2km to go: Dylan Groenewegen and Team Jayco–AlUla are prominent at the front … Milan and Merlier are both there.
Updated at 11.13 EDT
3km to go: Abrahamsen gets a pat on the back from a teammate as he falls back through the peloton. The bunch negotiates another big roundabout. There is little in the way of organised lead-out trains, it appears to be something of a free-for-all.
4km to go: Abrahamsen is done. We’re all together with 4km left.
4.5km to go: The catch is moments away and we’ll have a bunch sprint.
6km to go: The technical nature of the closing section of the course will be a reason that certain breakaway riders fancied this. The gap is 9sec. Luke Durbridge of Jayco–AlUla has stepped up the pace at the front of the bunch. Abrahamsen looks doomed …
8km to go: Jonas Abrahamsen has gone all-in. It’s a brave move. He’s got 10sec on his chasers. Could he make it two wins at this Tour?
Updated at 11.08 EDT
9km to go: The gap is 12sec between peloton and Abrahamsen. Albanese has given up chasing and is about to be caught.
10km to go: It looked to me like Abrahamsen took it quite easy in the break compared to the other riders. So perhaps not surprising that he’s got more in the tank now. On commentary, Sean Kelly thinks it’s an error for Abrahamsen to drop his fellow breakaway riders this far out, saying it would be better to up the pace but keep them on board for a bit more help. We shall see.
Updated at 11.05 EDT
12km to go: The gap is 22sec. It’s a mammoth effort from these four riders. Albanese apparently nearly loses it on a roundabout. Abrahamsen attacks his companions! He powers away from them, riding at 61km/h.
14km to go: Maximilian Schachmann (Soudal–Quick-Step) is one of the riders working hard up front. It’s 24sec for the break, Abrahamsen now setting the pace.
15km to go: The gap is 29sec. “A lot of teams are waiting for their moment, wanting to keep their power for the very end,” says Sean Kelly of the sprinters’ teams who are hunting this break down. On a long, straight stretch of road, the bunch an easily see the breakaway up ahead.
16km to go: Albanese won a Tour de Suisse stage this year. Burgaudeau won a stage of Paris-Nice three seasons ago and also won the Tour of Istanbul last year … Pacher, it appears, has never won a pro race but has two second-places at the Vuelta. The stakes are high …
19km to go: Vincenzo Albanese (EF Education–EasyPost), Quentin Pacher (Groupama–FDJ), Mathieu Burgaudeau (TotalEnergies) and Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility) are the riders up front. The average speed of the race is 45.8km/h and it looks like the riders will be finished at the predicted fastest time.
Abrahamsen, as a reminder, already has a stage win at this year’s race.
Updated at 10.56 EDT
20km to go: It’s 30sec for the break. Pacher, again, is setting the pace on the front. It looks inevitable that this four-man break will be caught, but you never know.
23km to go: On commentary Robbie McEwen is pouring praise on Simmons of Lidl–Trek, who is still up front and now working to close the gap between break and peloton as quickly as possible.
“He’s been so strong … he’s been unstoppable,” McEwen says. “I don’t really recall him having a day off.”
Updated at 10.51 EDT
24km to go: It’s 42sec for the break now. The peloton snakes gingerly around a sodden roundabout, accompanied by a couple of race motorbikes.
Updated at 10.49 EDT
27km to go: The rain, if anything, will boost the chances of this break staying away. The gap is 55sec though and the peloton is getting their chase more organised. A reminder that Sunday’s stage in Paris, with three ascents of the Butte Montmartre, will not be the usual bunch sprint. So this is likely the final chance for the fast men.
30km to go: The gap is 1min 07sec. Quinn Simmons is STILL on the front for Lidl-Trek. He’s been there all day and has certainly earned his money.
Updated at 10.43 EDT
31km to go: Raining! The heavens have opened and it looks like we’ll have heavy rain from now until the finish.
Wout Van Aert tried to get across to the break. He did not succeed. Photograph: Benoît Tessier/ReutersShare
Updated at 10.41 EDT
33km to go: Van Aert is swept up by the peloton. The breakaway has 1min 02 sec, and they have a puncher’s chance of staying away. The peloton is completely strung out further back, with a slightly bigger group up at the front.
Updated at 10.38 EDT
35km to go: We are going to get some rain. It’s falling at around 10km to go, one of the teams reveals on radio. Van Aert is still trying to bridge across to the break, but has 50sec to make up. The fact they are pulling away from Van Aert, riding at full gas, shows you how well they are working together.
Updated at 10.36 EDT
43km to go: Van Aert is 20sec behind the four-man break. The break is about to reach the summit of the climb. Albanese takes the 1pt on offer atop the Col de Tartaiguille. The gap between break and peloton is 53sec.
Updated at 10.27 EDT
45km to go: Van Aert, of Team Visma-Lease A Bike, fancies a crack at the stage win, clearly. And he has the power to close down this leading group of four.
45.5km to go: Michael Woods (Israel-PremierTech) has appeared at the front of the peloton on the climb. Quinn Simmons, who’s had a busy day, is on his wheel. The gap has shrunk to 57sec … and Wout van Aert attacks!
Updated at 10.23 EDT