“I think that deduction is a bit unfair” – Milan questions penalty after first Tour de France win

Jonathan Milan should’ve been celebrating without reservations after his breakthrough Tour de France stage win on Saturday. Instead, the Italian sprinter found himself answering questions about a post-race penalty that cut 10 points from his green jersey tally.

The reason for the deduction hasn’t been officially clarified, and Milan himself seemed puzzled when speaking to Sporza before the start of Stage 9. “Maybe they're just keeping an eye on me?” he said.

“Not much happened, it was just movements you always see at the end of a sprint,” Milan added. “Maybe someone should look more at the last kilometer instead of the last 200 meters. It wasn't just about me.”

The points loss is a setback in the tight race for the green jersey, and Milan didn’t hide his frustration. “That can be a factor. It's already a very close match. I think that deduction is a bit unfair.”

Mathieu van der Poel echoed Milan’s confusion, even if he is racing for a rival team. “I saw the fragment pass by, but as far as I'm concerned Jonathan certainly did nothing wrong there,” he said. “I have no idea if it was because of that situation, but if it was because of that, then it certainly wasn't deserved.”