"Tim Merlier is coming closer" - Jonathan Milan sees his Tour de France Green Jersey at risk from Soudal - Quick-Step sprinter

For a little while, it has seemed that Jonathan Milan's biggest rival for the Green Jersey at the 2025 Tour de France might be Tadej Pogacar himself. After Tim Merlier's second victory of the race on stage 9 though, the Soudal - Quick-Step sprinter has thrust himself right back into contention.

After Merlier edged Milan in the sprint on stage 9 in Châteauroux, the European champion has surged up to 4th in the Points classification, 77 points down on Milan's tally of 227. "It was a pretty tough stage with two strong riders at the front. We had to fight for a sprint and use all the guys racing through the wind. It made for a difficult sprint and I came second," reflected Lidl-Trek's Italian powerhouse in his post-stage interview afterwards. "Of course I wanted more but sometimes we win, sometimes it ends up like this and we learn from it."

"At the end of the stage, it’s easy to say we could have done some things differently. Maybe I could have stayed more on the wheels during echelons but I was worried it would split and then I would have ended up at the back," Milan continues. "We spent too many guys, staying in the front positions, pulling from the start… And we missed them in the end. We’ll keep fighting for this jersey because Merlier is also coming closer."