The downside of a bizarre Tour de France? Girmay and green jersey Milan reflect anxiously in Paris: "I don't know why"

It was an idea borrowed from the Olympic Games in Paris, and so we saw the Tour peloton power up the cobblestones three times, with thousands of people behind the barriers. “The guys really tried for me on the first Montmartre, but it was just too tough. I really enjoyed the stage after that,” Milan said after the race.

“It was my dream to finish with a sprint, but this was really the complete opposite. I did my best and I'm happy with the Tour we rode,” continued the Italian, who won his green jersey largely thanks to many intermediate sprints and two stage wins on days 8 and 17. Will he return to the Tour? “We'll have to see what the route looks like."

The 2025 Tour has discouraged many sprinters. "I really suffered in this edition, but I would love to return to experience it all again. The Tour was a big goal for the team, and it has always been a dream to arrive in Paris in the green jersey, ever since I turned pro. We achieved a lot today, I am very happy with that," said Milan.

For a moment, it looked like the Italian would have to admit defeat to Tadej Pogacar, but after his stage win on day 17, the green jersey was his. “It was a tough fight, but we deserved this. I'm going to sleep on Monday, preferably until 10 AM or later. And I'm going to eat pizza, a nice margherita. I'm going to miss the people in the Tour, but definitely not the climbs, haha!”

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For Girmay, nothing worked out in the Tour de France. He crashed, lost ground, and never finished higher than second in the sprints on day 1. “It was romantic to ride through Paris like that,” he smiled, referring to the fact that there was no longer anything at stake for the sprinters. Moreover, due to the rain, the time was already recorded 50 kilometers from the finish.

“I had expected some crashes and chaos before the stage, but everyone was afraid, so the selection was already made on the first climb up Montmartre. I felt pretty good, but I lacked the punch and fresh legs. The others were too strong, even though I was well-positioned. I still prefer last year's finale,” said Girmay.

In theory, the Eritrean seemed less impressive than in 2024, when he won three stages and the green jersey. Nothing could be further from the truth. “I look at my computer, and I've already achieved some crazy metrics in just one hour. It's so fast, I don't know why. I was better than last year, but we never found the momentum. We could have performed better, but we learned a lot.”