Tour de France: Pogacar Backlash is built while Milan wins the sprint of stage 17 | Tour de France 2025
Jonathan Milan won a sprint soaked in rain in Valencia to win his second victory in the Tour de France this year, after a treacherous finish from which Tadej Pogacar, the leader of the race, and Jonas Vingegaard, his nearest rival, have both emerged.
In what was probably the last stage of the 2025 tour adapted to the sprinters, others did not have the chance after a downpour made the final kilometers through the suburbs of the horribly greasy suburbs.
When the inevitable touch of the wheels came, it killed half a dozen runners, including the winner of Stadium three, Tim Merlier, and Biniam Girmay, winner of the point classification in 2024, who did a little more on the wet road in the barriers.
While Milan celebrated his victory on stage, a predictable reaction collected the pace against Pogacar, with only four days of racing to come, as Jean-René Bernaudeau, Total Energies Team Manager, accused the Slovain of the Emirates Emirates Xrg Squad of arrogance.
“They are arrogant towards those who just want to live just by their side,” said the French about the Pogacar team. “I expect their team leader to make them this point.”
Pogacar was disdainful of French comments. “Arrogance is something, trying to win the Tour de France is another thing. I think a lot of runners consider us arrogant because we want to control each kilometer of this race. We do not try to be arrogant, we are just trying to make our race as easy as possible. I think – it will seem super -Arrogant – but some guys can remain silent.”
One day when pro-Palestinian activists have signaled the flags and banners deployed to Dieulefit while the peloton passed, Pogacar was also asked about his feelings about human rights in the United Arab Emirates.
“I drive for the Emirates Water team and if you go, you will see how sport is developing,” he said. “Children love us, residents love us when we drive with them. Sport develops to water, which, I suppose, is why they have the team, to promote a healthy lifestyle. ”
On the side of the road, the protest houses were draped in Palestinian flags with relationships of demonstrators who hold “hungry are killed” while the runners passed. Dieulefit was honored for sheltering the Jewish people during the Second World War.
Last Wednesday, a demonstrator ran on the arrival line of Toulouse, bearing a T-shirt indicating: “Israel out of the tour.” It was discussed by the staff of the tour and should be tried to endanger the runners.
After this incident, the Israeli pre-premiet technological team declared that it “respects everyone’s right to freedom of expression which includes the right to protest”.
If Pogacar remains in a league, with Vingegaard hanging on his mantle tails, the battle for the final point of the podium should become intense in the next 48 hours, with the Oscar of Scotland Onley, meat in a Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe sandwich.
The beginner of the German team tour Florian Lipowitz is safely third in the general classification, with Onley two minutes late. But his teammate Primoz Roglic, the most carefree champion of the racing in the race, has now slipped into the top five.
Not everyone was delighted to see the re -emergence of Roglic in the last stages. “Will no longer buy Red Bulls,” said Onley on Strava, after the Slovenian moved 38 seconds behind him, after the finish of Mont Ventoux. “Do not finance these attacks.”
Meanwhile, volatile weather conditions are planned for the remaining two stages of the mountain, until the high altitude finish on Thursday on the Col de la Loze, 2304 m, and the climb of Friday at the Ski station in La Plagne, exceeding 2,052 m.
While the rain fell strongly on Valence and the Rhône valley, François Lemarchand, of the race organizer, ASO, said that the change was in the air. “A few days of cooler time arrive and we could see a 20 -degree swing. It will go from very hot to very cold, from day to next.”
