“That would really be a dream” – Jonathan Milan eyes yellow jersey on Tour de France debut

Jonathan Milan makes his Tour de France debut today and has a real opportunity to make an immediate impact. Stage 1 finishes in Lille, offering a sprint finish where Milan could potentially win and pull on the yellow jersey, an outcome he’s thought about more than once.

"I am focusing on the first day first and foremost," Milan told Wielerflits. “I could win that stage and then also take the yellow jersey, that would really be a very big dream. Not only for myself, but for the entire team. We have reconnoitered the last few kilometres and have given everything to be ready."

His leadout setup at Lidl-Trek has become a key part of his success, and the team has been built around him this year with no Mads Pedersen in the mix. Pedersen was supposed to target the green jersey during last year's race, but crashed out early on. The Danish rider was the star of the show during the Giro d'Italia in May, winning four stages and the points classification, but still Lidl-Trek have built their sprint train around Milan for the Tour de France.

“I understand your question about the minimal effect of the slipstream. But Consonni forces me to bring my head down deeper, which ultimately makes me more aerodynamic and therefore faster. That makes my sprint better. Although I sometimes also choose Eddy's. That is the big advantage at Lidl-Trek: we are able to change positions and that helps enormously.”

While all eyes are on Lille, Milan is also keeping the broader race in mind, including the potential for a green jersey challenge and the newly altered final stage in Paris, which includes the Montmarte climb that we saw in the Olympic Games last year.

“Hopefully the first and the last in Paris,” he laughs. “Of course that will be incredibly difficult to realise. I have never done that climb, but I did speak to many riders who did Montmartre during the Olympic Games. It will be difficult to control, there will be attacks. But we are absolutely going to try.”

Green remains a target, if the stage wins come first.

"Of course, the green is also a goal for me now. But first I focus on stage wins. If I succeed, the green will automatically come with it. Do guys like Mathieu van der Poel have more chances? Good question. On paper I think that we as sprinters have a bit more possibilities, but the race will tell. In any case, I will be happy if I can say in Paris that I enjoyed myself."