Even after his stage victory, Jonathan Milan knows that he will be somewhat dependent on Tadej Pogacar

Your first stage win in the Tour is always memorable, and that was no different for Milan. “I still have to realize what we've done,” he said in front of the camera in the flash interview. “We came with expectations and dreams, but achieving that is something else. However, I have confidence in the team, and we were already close in the previous sprint.” In the third stage to Dunkirk, the strong rider finished a close second behind Tim Merlier, who was unable to sprint on Saturday, partly due to mechanical problems in the final.

That's why all eyes were on Milan. He quickly found himself isolated, but he remained calm and chose his moment. “We started too early, but today, we were focused and believed in it. The guys did a great 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 that. We deserve this.” Wout van Aert was the only one who could stay close to Milan, finishing nicely in second place.

For Lidl-Trek, it is also the first stage victory in this edition of La Grande Boucle. That takes some of the pressure off. "The level is so high, and everyone deserves to win. But so do we, so I'm happy for our team. Winning in green means a lot to me and Italy. Let's see what's possible tomorrow, then we'll try again. I hope to win more." Sunday will bring another opportunity for the sprinter, with a flat finish in Châteauroux.

Mattias Skjelmose observed from a distance as his teammate achieved the big goal of this Tour: a stage victory for the team. "I didn't see much of it because I was mainly hitting the brakes to stay alive," said the Dane after the finish. “This finish was perfect for Jonathan, and he deserves this victory, just like all the guys. They are so focused every day, with long meetings about the finals.”

So far, the American team has had a somewhat difficult Tour de France: Thibau Nys crashed in the first stage and is not performing at his desired level, Milan has had no success in the sprints so far, and Quinn Simmons' second place in stage 6 was the only other bright spot so far. But now they can celebrate, and that takes some of the pressure off. “This gives us peace of mind because the main goal was a stage win with Jonathan. The rest is a bonus.”

"It's strange. It's something you hope for. At the beginning, things didn't go as we wanted, but we were close and learned from our mistakes. So we were really looking forward to this day.

It was challenging to achieve a good lead-out, but the guys were there for me all day. I was in the perfect position in the last kilometers, so I'm very happy that it worked out. Now, we're going to enjoy this, but we already have another chance on Sunday."

"That's one of the most important things in our team. Everyone was very important again. Edward Theuns and Simone Consonni helped us to the last kilometer, and that makes the difference. They really go through fire for me, and that makes it easier for me to make the difference. It doesn't always work, but it did today."

“I'm going to do everything I can to score as many points as possible, but we'll have to see how Pogacar does. The green jersey is a big goal for me, but I have to take it day by day and enjoy every day.”

“Phew, I don't know. It was well controlled, but in the end, it still goes fast.”

“There were many. I think it was the positioning in the last kilometers, with that big roundabout. You know that it's going to be a sprint there, and if you're too far back, it becomes more difficult to get back to the front. So that was the key to success.”