Despite Milan's victory, De Jongh (Lidl-Trek) upset about Merlier’s flat tire: "I’m sure something was thrown on the road"

Milan and Lidl-Trek would, of course, have loved to have won a week earlier when there was also a yellow jersey up for grabs in Lille. However, the Italian was not among the front group in the echelon battle on that day, and he had to settle for second place behind Tim Merlier in the second sprint in Dunkirk. On day eight of the Tour de France, he finally got his chance on the third attempt.

Steven, can you tell us what has been lifted off your shoulders in the last half hour?
“Not much, really. We were very confident that we would take one of the two sprint opportunities this weekend.”

According to others, Jonathan seemed nervous up until now, but now he looks relaxed.
“Yes, definitely. Jonny is Italian, and we're used to them talking a lot and gesturing, but that doesn't mean he's nervous.”

His previous chance was on day three, which was a while ago. How do you keep him focused?
“We've had other goals, which keep him focused. There are also intermediate sprints that he can focus on every day, and apart from that, it was mainly a matter of preparing for these two days.”

Jasper Stuyven was the last man, as opposed to Edward Theuns or Simone Consonni. Why the change?
“That depends a bit on the finish. Simone and Edward were a bit off in the last few days, so that's why we switched. That's also the team's strength. These guys can switch roles quickly, make decisions, and continue to perform their job effectively. We had one tactic with the whole team, and the other was for Jasper to position Jonny. He was dropped off in the perfect position.”

Were Simone and Edward unable to do their thing?
“That's not a problem because it's just as valuable that they can switch. Simone did a good job before Jasper did his, but that versatility is our strongest point. Those guys know each other very well, and we saw that in the Dauphiné.”

Is that decided during the race or before the stage?
“At the meeting. We had footage of the sprint because I scouted and filmed this stage after Paris-Roubaix. We watched those clips during our training camp and discussed them at the meeting this morning.”

Merlier and Girmay didn't finish in the top 15. How good is that?
"I feel bad for Merlier."

Do you really feel bad about that
'Yes, really. When you win a sprint, you just want all your opponents to be there. But what bothers me most is that someone definitely threw something on the road at that point because there were four or five flat tires in no time. And that's what I'm upset about. It could have happened to all of us."