"I’m really sorry for Jasper Philipsen" - Jonathan Milan takes over Green Jersey after crash-marred stage 3 of the 2025 Tour de France

After the dramatic crash and subsequent abandonment of Jasper Philipsen on stage 3, Lidl-Trek's Jonathan Milan is wearing the Green Jersey at the Tour de France for the first time in his career. A nice consolation having narrowly missed out on the stage win in a photo finish to Tim Merlier.

"I cannot be super happy with a 2nd place," Milan admits in his post-stage interview afterwards. "It is a good result, of course, and I’m happy for the green jersey that we achieved. In any case, first and foremost I have to say I’m really sorry for Jasper [Philipsen] and the other guys who crashed today."

After disappointingly missing the decisive move on stage 1 however, this was at least a positive step in the right direction for Milan as he searches for a first ever Tour de France stage win. "I didn’t manage to sprint for the win in the first stage, but I still kept collecting points in the intermediate sprints with the points classification in mind. Yet today I had my eyes set on the stage win, and thus I can only feel partially happy," he assesses. "I’ve come close to victory, and I’ll keep looking for it. I missed fighting for the win."

After Philipsen had crashed out at the intermediate sprint, there was then more crash drama in the finale. Thankfully for Lidl-Trek however, Milan managed to avoid much of the drama. "It has been a chaotic final. I tried my best in the sprint. Maybe I should have waited a bit more, given the headwind… But in the end, it went like it went and I can only congratulate Tim [Merlier] on his victory," concludes the Italian powerhouse, who will no doubt be out for revenge in the coming days. "I’m happy for the shape I have and I will keep fighting for more."