VALENCE, France (23 July 2025) — In the sweltering heat of the Rhône Valley, where the mistral winds carry whispers of autumn and the vineyards stretch toward distant Alps, cycling’s fastest men gathered for what many believed would be their final communion with glory in the 2025 Tour de France. Stage 17, a seemingly innocent 160.4-kilometer jaunt from Bollène to Valence, represented more than mere geography—it was the last altar upon which the sprinters could offer their prayers before the high mountains would claim the race’s soul.
The mathematics were stark, the arithmetic unforgiving. With Montmartre’s cobbled ascent lurking in the final stage like a malevolent specter over the Champs-Élysées, this sun-baked stretch through the Drôme department offered the peloton’s fastest finishers their ultimate reprieve. The Boulevard Franklin Roosevelt in Valence had witnessed the coronations of Mark Cavendish, Peter Sagan, and André Greipel in years past—only the Colombian “Chepe” González’s audacious breakaway victory in 1996 stood as testament to the boulevard’s occasional appetite for surprise.
The Gathering Storm
As the sun climbed over Bollène’s ancient ramparts, 164 riders assembled for what promised to be a day of reckoning. Missing from their ranks was Danny van Poppel (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), whose priorities had shifted overnight to life’s greater victory—the birth of his child mere hours before the stage began. In his absence, the sprint trains reshuffled their calculations, their chess pieces repositioned for the final gambit.
Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) and his devoted domestiques understood the weight of expectation pressing upon their shoulders. After three stage victories in the previous year’s Tour, the prospect of returning to Eritrea empty-handed gnawed at their collective conscience. The team’s tactical blueprint for Valence carried the desperation of the condemned and the precision of the converted.
Meanwhile, Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) faced his own crucible. The Italian powerhouse, making his Tour debut with the swagger of youth and the hunger of the uninitiated, needed every available point to fortify his green jersey against the omnipresent threat of Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates). For Milan, Valence represented not just opportunity but necessity—a chance to transform his maiden Tour from promising debut into legendary arrival.
Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) brought his own narrative to the boulevard. The Belgian speedster sought to extend the sunshine that had finally broken through the storm clouds surrounding his team, following Aurélien Paret-Peintre’s triumph on Mont Ventoux and the painful memory of Remco Evenepoel’s withdrawal. In cycling’s theater of dreams and nightmares, redemption often arrives wearing racing colors and spinning at 50 kilometers per hour.
The supporting cast read like a directory of speed: Australia’s Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Belgium’s Arnaud De Lie (Lotto Dstny) and Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Germany’s Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious) and Pascal Ackermann (Israel-Premier Tech), France’s Paul Penhoët (Groupama-FDJ) and Arnaud Démare (Arkéa-B&B Hotels). Each carried dreams calibrated in watts per kilogram and measured in the milliseconds that separate glory from anonymity.
The Early Mathematics
The stage profile appeared deceptively benign—1,650 meters of elevation spread across 160.4 kilometers, with the final categorized climb, the Col de Tartaiguille, positioned more than 40 kilometers from the finish line. Yet in the Tour de France, topographical statistics merely provide the stage upon which tactical drama unfolds. The morning’s first act began predictably, with Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility) launching himself into the void, seeking another chapter in his breakaway anthology.
Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek) responded with the mechanical precision of a Swiss timepiece, his role clearly defined by directeur sportif’s pre-stage briefing: contain but do not suffocate, control but do not kill. At kilometer five, Abrahamsen had gathered accomplices—Vincenzo Albanese (EF Education-EasyPost), Quentin Pacher (Groupama-FDJ), and Mathieu Burgaudeau (Total Energies)—forming a quartet of ambition that would define the day’s early narrative.
The gap reached its zenith at 2’50” by kilometer 23, a margin that suggested the peloton’s sprint teams had calibrated their response with mathematical precision. Too close, and the break would wither; too distant, and panic would set in. The buffer represented cycling’s perpetual tension between risk and reward, between the known quantity of a bunch sprint and the chaotic variables of a long-range attack.
The Col du Pertuis Revelation
Racing’s truths often emerge on the climbs, and the Col du Pertuis (category 4, summit at kilometer 66.3) served as the stage’s first confessional. As Ineos Grenadiers applied pressure to the front of the peloton, reducing the breakaway’s advantage to a mere 35 seconds at the summit, the race’s dual narrative crystallized with stark clarity.
In the vanguard, attackers launched themselves with the desperation of the condemned, only to find Simmons playing the role of tactical executioner, neutralizing each surge with the efficiency of experience. Behind, a more dramatic subplot unfolded as the climb’s modest gradients proved sufficient to fracture the sprint field. Milan and Merlier, the day’s two most fancied finishers, found themselves hemorrhaging time, their support riders scrambling to orchestrate damage limitation.
Dylan Groenewegen (Team Jayco-AlUla) and Démare joined the growing group of dropped sprinters, their earlier confidence evaporating in the heat of competition. The sight of cycling’s fastest men struggling on what amounted to little more than a geographical speed bump served as reminder of the Tour’s unforgiving nature—even on stages designed for sprinters, survival precedes success.
The Resurrection
Yet cycling’s capacity for redemption often matches its appetite for destruction. By kilometer 85, through a combination of teamwork, determination, and the peloton’s natural elasticity, the dropped sprinters had clawed their way back to contention. Teams like Tudor (Alberto Dainese), Alpecin-Deceuninck (Groves), and Intermarché-Wanty (Girmay) had invested heavily in the recovery operation, their domestiques burning matches with the profligacy of the desperate.
The gap to the breakaway had been trimmed to 30 seconds, then allowed to expand again to 1’10” as the race entered its final 50 kilometers. This tactical breathing space provided the perfect prelude to the day’s final examination: the Col de Tartaiguille at kilometer 117.
Van Aert’s Gambit
As the peloton approached the day’s final climb, Wout van Aert (Team Visma-Lease a Bike) launched an attack that carried the hallmark of desperation disguised as inspiration. The Belgian powerhouse, seeking to salvage something from a Tour that had promised much but delivered frustration, bridged to within 25 seconds of the leaders before reality intervened.
Van Aert’s 12-kilometer solo effort represented cycling’s eternal optimism—the belief that individual brilliance can overcome collective strength. His eventual reabsorption by the peloton served as tactical punctuation, confirming that this day belonged to the sprinters and their carefully orchestrated machinery.
The Final Reckoning
As the race entered its final 12 kilometers, nature added its own dramatic flourish. Rain began to fall across the Rhône Valley, transforming road surfaces from predictable to treacherous, adding an element of chaos to what had been a carefully choreographed finale.
The sprint teams responded with increased urgency, their lead-out trains forming with military precision. Abrahamsen, the day’s final breakaway survivor, maintained his doomed resistance for another eight kilometers before the inevitable mathematics of the bunch sprint claimed their victim.
With four kilometers remaining, the Norwegian’s lonely adventure ended, and cycling’s fastest men began their final preparations for combat. The boulevard beckoned, its wide expanse promising both glory and heartbreak in equal measure.
Chaos and Triumph
The final kilometer delivered cycling’s cruelest irony—a crash that removed several key protagonists from contention just as victory appeared within reach. Eight riders emerged from the chaos to contest the stage victory, their numbers reduced by circumstance rather than selection.
In that moment, Milan proved why youth often trumps experience when combined with raw power and perfect positioning. The Italian’s sprint carried the authority of destiny, his second stage victory in his debut Tour confirming his transformation from promising newcomer to established star.
Meeus, the Belgian powerhouse, claimed second place ahead of Denmark’s Tobias Lund Andresen (Team Picnic PostNL), their podium positions representing both personal triumph and collective heartbreak for those caught behind the late crash.
The Aftermath
“I’m really happy, I’m without words I have to say,” Milan reflected after his victory celebration, his joy tempered by awareness of the chaos that had enabled his triumph. “I didn’t survive alone, I survived with the help of my teammates and I have to appreciate this. Without them, I would still be on one of the climbs, I wouldn’t be here!”
The Italian’s gratitude extended beyond mere politeness—it represented acknowledgment of cycling’s fundamental truth that individual victories emerge from collective effort. “They help me every single day and today was a really tough stage. We controlled from the beginning, of course with the help of other teams. Then my teammates helped me when I was dropped and they put a good pace on the second climb.”
For Milan, the victory carried additional significance in the context of the green jersey competition. “There’s a bit more of gap now in the points standings. I’m a bit more relaxed. I will keep fighting and trying to achieve as many points as I can.”
Meanwhile, race leader Pogačar navigated the stage’s dangers with the calculating patience of one who understands that Tours are won in the mountains, not on the boulevards. “It has been a fairly quiet day, but not an easy one as it was fast and there was some bad weather in the end,” the Slovenian reflected. “I’m happy that the stage is over and we all managed to stay safe. The goal is to keep the Yellow Jersey, and nothing else.”
His thoughts had already turned to the approaching high mountains, where his rivals would make their final desperate attempts to dethrone him. “As for tomorrow, we can expect Visma to try and go in the breakaway, and ride every climb full gas. Later, at the Col de la Loze, they will try everything they can to drop me. I’ll be ready for everything that may come my way.”
The Greater Narrative
As the sun set over Valence, casting long shadows across the Boulevard Franklin Roosevelt, the 2025 Tour de France’s penultimate sprint stage entered the record books as both ending and beginning. For the sprinters, it represented their final moment in the spotlight before the mountains would claim the race’s narrative. For Milan, it confirmed his emergence as a force in cycling’s fastest discipline.
But perhaps most significantly, it served as prelude to the Tour’s final act—the high mountain stages that would determine the race’s ultimate victor. As Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) noted, “Mountains are awaiting us now. Both stages 18 and 19 will be super hard. I expect Jonas [Vingegaard] and Visma to try something, and I’ll try to be up there with the best.”
The Tour de France’s eternal rhythm had reached another crescendo—speed giving way to suffering, tactics yielding to raw endurance, the boulevard surrendering to the mountaintop. In Valence, the sprinters had claimed their final kingdom. Tomorrow, the mountains would crown their own king.
For Pacher, who had animated the day’s early breakaway, the philosophical truth remained unchanged: “It’s good to show yourself, but you have to do it intelligently, with the aim of getting a result.” In cycling, as in life, the margin between glory and disappointment often measures no more than the width of a wheel, the duration of a heartbeat, the difference between being in the right place when fortune smiles and being caught behind when chaos strikes.
The road to Paris would continue, but the sprint era of the 2025 Tour de France had reached its conclusion on the sun-soaked streets of Valence, where Milan’s power had proven superior and cycling’s eternal drama had written another chapter in its infinite story.
The road to Paris would continue, but the sprint era of the 2025 Tour de France had reached its conclusion on the sun-soaked streets of Valence, where Milan’s power had proven superior and cycling’s eternal drama had written another chapter in its infinite story.
By the Numbers
2: MILAN MAKES IT TWO
Having already won in Laval (stage 8), Jonathan Milan claimed his 2nd Tour. He is the first Italian to win two stages in the same Tour since Vincenzo Nibali in 2014, 11 years ago (four wins and the Yellow Jersey). He is also the first “neo” to win twice since Tadej Pogačar in 2020 (three wins)
1997: PODIUM FOR THE LANTERNE ROUGE!
Jordi Meeus is the general classification’s lanterne rouge (164th and last ranked), but today he finished 2nd. It’s the first stage podium for the lanterne rouge since 1997, 28 years ago, when Philippe Gaumont finished 3rd in the Disneyland Paris time trial (stage 20).
50: YELLOW HERO
General classification leader Tadej Pogačar collects his 50th Yellow Jersey. He is the 6th rider to reach this total after Eddy Merckx (111), Bernard Hinault (79), Miguel Indurain (60), Chris Froome (59), and Jacques Anquetil (52), whom he can overtake by the finish of the Tour 2025. At 26 years and 305 days, Pogačar is the 2nd youngest rider to have 50 Yellow Jerseys, behind Merckx (26 years and 20 days when he did so in 1971). Including the 20 pink jerseys from the Giro 2024, this is his 70th Grand Tour leader’s jersey.
22: YOUNGEST EVER FOR DENMARK
Tobias Lund Andresen (3rd) is the first Dane under 23 to finish on a stage podium. The Team Picnic PostNL rider, who will celebrate his 23rd birthday on August 20, beats the record of his compatriot Jesper Skibby, who finished 3rd at Futuroscope in 1987 (10th stage) at 23 years, 3 months, and 19 days.
3/6: ITALY, LOVELY ITALY
With Jonathan Milan (1st), Davide Ballerini (5th), and Alberto Dainese (6th), Italy has placed 3 riders in the top-6 for the first time since the 17th stage of the Tour 2014, which finished in Saint-Lary-Soulan (Giovanni Visconti 2nd, Vincenzo Nibali 3rd, Alessandro De Marchi 5th)
9: FRENCH FIGHTER
In the breakaway for 147 kilometers, Quentin Pacher was awarded his 3rd combativity prize after Carcassonne 2021 (stage 13) and Villeneuve-sur-Lot 2024 (stage 12). This is the 9th time a French rider has been awarded the prize this year (Mattéo Vercher x2, Bruno Armirail x2, Lenny Martinez x2, Ewen Costiou, Mathieu Burgaudeau, Quentin Pacher). France has not been so honored since the Tour 2008 (10 combativity prizes)
72: GREEN GIANT
Jonathan Milan’s 72-point lead over his runner-up in the points classification (Tadej Pogačar) represents the biggest gap between first and second place since the start of the Tour. The last two winners in Valence, Peter Sagan (2018) and Mark Cavendish (2021), then kept the green jersey until Paris. A good sign for the Italian?
8: THE PELOTON’S MOST ADVENTUROUS RIDER?
29 riders have won an intermediate sprint since Jonas Abrahamsen’s Tour debut in 2023. Frequently present in breakaways, the Norwegian has won the most of these sprints: 8, including today’s in Roche-Saint-Secret-Béconne! Following him are Bryan Coquard, Jonathan Milan, and Mads Pedersen, winners of 5 intermediate sprints since 2023.
24: FROM RECORD TO RECORD
Yesterday’s stage podium (Valentin Paret-Peintre, Ben Healy, Santiago Buitrago) was the youngest of the Tour 2025, with an average age of 25 years and 30 days. This record was beaten by today’s top-3 (Jonathan Milan, Jordi Meeus, Tobias Lund Andresen), who have an average age of 24 years and 346 days.
9: WHEN WILL DE LIE’S TIME COME?
Fourth today, Arnaud De Lie finished in the top-5 of a stage for the 9th time since joining the Tour in 2024, and the 4th time this year. The Belgian is still chasing his first victory, his best result being a 3rd-place finish on three previous occasions.
Stage 17 Results
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- Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) – 3h25’30”
- Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) – +0″
- Tobias Lund Andresen (Team Picnic PostNL) – +0″
- Arnaud De Lie (Lotto) – +0″
- Davide Ballerini (XDS Astana Team) – +0″
- Alberto Dainese (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) – +0″
- Paul Penhoët (Groupama-FDJ) – +0″
- Yevgeniy Fedorov (XDS Astana Team) – +0″
- Clément Russo (Groupama-FDJ) – +0″
- Jasper Stuyven (Lidl-Trek) – +0″
General Classification After Stage 17
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- Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates XRG) – 61h50’16”
- Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma-Lease a Bike) – +4’15”
- Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) – +9’03”
- Oscar Onley (Team Picnic PostNL) – +11’04”
- Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) – +11’42”
- Kévin Vauquelin (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) – +13’20”
- Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) – +14’50”
- Tobias Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) – +17’01”
- Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) – +17’52”
- Carlos Rodríguez (Ineos Grenadiers) – +20’45”
Jersey Leaders after Stage 17
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- Yellow Jersey (Overall Leader) – Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates XRG)
- Green Jersey (Points Classification) – Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek)
- Polka Dot Jersey (King Of The Mountains) – Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates XRG)
- White Jersey (Best Young Rider) – Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe)
