"Winning in green means a lot to me and to Italy" - 6 years later, Jonathan Milan brings Italy a win at Tour de France

Italy is one of the top nations in cycling, it has always been and continues to be even in the 2020's where a lot more countries have taken over the top of the world standings. Hence, it comes as a huge surprise that Jonathan Milan's victory this Saturday at the Tour de France was the southern European nation's first triumph in... 6 years.

"I still have to process what we've done. We came with expectations and dreams, but achieving that is something else," Milan admitted in a post-race interview. "However, I have confidence in the team, and we were already close in the previous sprint."

The Lidl-Trek rider was quick to complement his team, but it was noticeable into Laval that Milan was unusually isolated. The very technical finale meant that all the sprinters were present in front but few could have their leadout men alongside them. This made for an unusual effort, but the 24-year old adapted perfectly to the circumstances that he had in front, and leaped around the right leadouts at the right times.

Milan found himself in the wheel of Kaden Groves until he launched a nuclear sprint to take his first-ever Tour victory. "We went too early, and today we were focused and believed in it. The guys did a fantastic job in the final, because it was a tough and stressful finish. I had to wait as long as possible, and I love sprints like this. We deserve this."

He beat Wout van Aert, but in all fairness, no-one else came even close to matching the leader of the American team. "The level is so high, and everyone deserves to win. And so do we, so I'm happy for our team. Winning in green means a lot to me and to Italy. Let's see tonight what's possible tomorrow, and then we'll try again. I hope to take home even more."