Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) won the 8th stage of the 2025 Tour de France in Laval this Saturday, in a sprint, after a generally uneventful day on the roads of Brittany and Mayenne. The 24-year-old Italian thus secured his first victory in the Tour de France and took the green jersey for best sprinter.
Under a big blue sky and on roads with no major relief, the peloton finally eased off after a week of nervous stages. Today's stage, 182 kilometers between Saint-Méen-le-Grand (Ille-et-Vilaine) et Laval (Mayenne), respected the expected scenario: a massive sprint finish, despite a short breakaway attempt at the end of the course.
Revenge for Milan, a blow for Merlier
Jonathan Milan, impressive in power, overtook Wout Van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) et Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck) on the finish line. He signed the first victory of his career in the Tour de France, he who had already shown great promise during the Giro 2023, where he won four stages and the cyclamen jersey.
Deprived of a sprint on Monday in Dunkirk due to an average placing, Milan this time benefited from a well-oiled train at Lidl-Trek, despite a race that was blocked for a long time. "It's incredible, I'd never won on Tour. I was very focused and I knew I had to get going early. I wanted this victory, it gives me a lot of confidence.", the Italian rider said to France Télévisions after arrival.
For its part, Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step), winner of the 3rd stage, saw his hopes of a double ruined by a puncture at 12 kilometers from the finishHaving returned to the peloton after a big effort, the Belgian was unable to join the final sprint.
A platoon in management mode
After a first week marked by the edges, the falls and the gaps between favorites, this stage was perceived as a "transition day", especially for the leaders of the general classification. “We felt like the peloton needed a breather. The sprinters seized their chance, while the favorites remained well protected.”, analyzes the former runner Thomas Voeckler on France 2 program.
The riders of the Lidl-Trek team neutralized any attempt at a breakaway until the intermediate sprint of Cossé-le-Vivien (km 97), where Milan crossed the line in the lead to pick up valuable points in the fight for the green jersey, which they took from Tadej pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) at the end of this stage.
An unsuccessful escape attempt
The only real thrill of the day: a joint attempt by two runners TotalEnergies, Matteo Vercher et Mathieu Burgaudeau, who left 77 km from the finish. The French duo held the lead for around thirty kilometers before being caught around fifteen kilometers from Laval.
Despite this attempt, the outcome was hardly in doubt. In the final, the sprint trains started moving. Milan, well led in the last hectometres, launched his effort at 200 m and resisted the return of Van Aert, who was there disputing his first mass sprint on this 2025 Tour...
