Lidl-Trek spearhead Milan dropped a few more kilos before Tour de France start: 'Knowing what's at stake'

The 24-year-old could easily be described as a gentle giant — imposing on and off the bike, yet light-hearted and approachable when the helmet comes off. That side of Milan was on full display during Lidl-Trek’s pre-Tour media day on Wednesday.

Sporting his signature grin, Milan entertained reporters with ease. When asked whether Belgian teammates Jasper Stuyven and Edward Theuns had taught him any Dutch, he smiled: “Just one word… but I’m not going to say it here,” he laughed. When asked to compare himself to fellow sprinters like Merlier and Philipsen? “I’m taller,” came the deadpan reply.

While still towering, Milan has shed some weight since the start of the Critérium du Dauphiné. “I’ve lost a few kilos during altitude camp and in the Dauphiné, but it doesn't make a massive difference. We’re just trying to improve my climbing as much as possible,” said the Italian, who finished a solid seventh at the Italian national championships on Sunday.

Milan knows exactly what’s at stake on Saturday. “I’m one of the favourites, but so are Merlier, Philipsen, Groenewegen, and a few others,” he said. “Yellow would be a dream — for me it’s like the pink jersey in the Giro. We know what’s on the line.”

He’ll be backed by one of the strongest lead-out trains in the peloton, consisting of Stuyven, Theuns, and his close friend Simone Consonni. “That takes some pressure off. They know exactly how to get me to the final kilometre in the right position,” Milan explained.

With a finishing straight of 1.5 kilometers, the stage is tailor-made for Milan’s raw power.

When it comes to sprinting at the Tour, the points classification is never far from the conversation. “The green jersey will be tough — it always is — but it’s one of my big goals,” Milan admitted. “If you win stages and consistently get results, you naturally start competing for it. For now, I’m just focused on the early sprint stages. I see five or six real chances.”

Interestingly, Milan didn’t mention the Champs-Élysées finale among those opportunities, fully aware that the new Montmartre climb could shake things up. “The last stage is a bit of a question mark now,” he noted. “As a sprinter, I’d obviously prefer the old version. This one’s a bit more open. But that’s far away — first, let’s see what we can do on Saturday.”