Stage 17 of the Tour de France 2025 was meant to be one for the sprinters, but the weather had other plans. A rain-soaked finale in Valence turned chaotic, with multiple crashes in the final kilometers. Tim Merlier and Biniam Girmay were among those caught out, while Jonathan Milan kept upright to claim victory. We break down all the drama from the roadside in Valence. #TDF
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2025 tour of to France in Valance and a wet wild day. This is cycling always out in the elements and always continues despite the conditions. And today blasting ahead in the heavy rain that came in the latter portion of the day. Jonathan Milan, the big tall Italian in the green jersey. The green monster powering over the finish line first ahead of Yori Mayuse taking second on the day in a reduced bunch sprint because in the final kilometer as a lot of us at the finish line waiting for the riders were predicting a crash occurred with these heavy rains in an area that’s known for its wine production in the Ran Valley. Hell the roads get nasty and slick when it falls. And along with the rain, along with the falling of the rain, it was Benium Germe, one of the top guns. Last year’s green jersey, the rider from Utrea hit the deck. And frankly, when I saw him pass the finish line right beside me, I was trying to get some shots and running out there on my own. The legs tired after this morning’s run, logged on Strava, you can check it out. I didn’t get a great shot of Benny, but it looked like his right collar bone might have been snapped in that fall. We’re going to have to wait till the medical report comes out. Let’s hope for the best for our Atran sprinter as he will want to recover tonight on what’s been a miserable tour of to France for him. Hasn’t been going the way he’s hoped and we certainly don’t want to see it end this way for a bidium. The rest of the riders seem to get through okay. Race leader Tad Pagotch in the yellow jersey made it through fine. We did hear reports that perhaps Gian Bon of team Israel Premier Techch might have been banged up in that crash. Timberlier, one of the hot sprint favorites, was held up in that crash and was not able to contest for victory, leaving it to Milan. Along with the victory, adding more points to his green jersey that at a time looked uh perhaps not to be going his way. Both with Tad Pagotch picking up green jersey points and with Matthew Vanderpool knocking on the door. Matthew Vanderpull out with pneumonia and Pagotchar rightly so not really contesting the intermediate sprints but we’ll be picking up those green jersey points as we head towards the mountains tomorrow and let’s hope for better weather early on in the day well as a group of four with Abraham Hamson early stage winner in this tur of France from UNOX a power player this group of four held a nice advantage and were working well together out there on the day two categorized climbs and on the first of two. Well, that’s when Jonathan Milan looked to be seen his chance of a sprint victory slip away like the slippery roads we had out here on the roads on the finish here in Volance. Uh he was slipping off the back up front were attacks of Wild Than Art. What Evan Romeo, the Spanish champion of team Movie Star, Young Gun, I think the youngest rider in the race. Looking great out there. Surely a victory is going to be coming his way. Quinn Simmons up attacking but not attacking. attacking to mark the moves. Key distinction there because he promised all of his support for Jonathan Milan at the start of the stage and he was given it. Also Tom Skewins there in the team lead. We saw Yasper Stoven, former Milano Sanmo winner up there working as well. All those guys trying to keep things under control as the attacks were coming left and right and there was an attacking group off the front and Jonathan Milan was distanced at one point. Skew drops back and then we saw Simmons drop back along with Stoven to help in the power and the drive back behind in that bunch to bring the riders back up in that bunch up front. We saw Kaden Groves up there. Also, I think we might have had John Bennium Gay up there as well. So, that group had reason to try to work and put Milan into the hurt box. It came back together in that valley to that second climb. Vanard attacking. Uh he was off the front for a little bit. couldn’t bridge up to those front four and set up. And then what we had was a race coming into the sprint here in Vain with the dark clouds circling and rain coming as predicted unfortunately with around 20 km to go. Earlier in the day there was rain here in Vain but it had dried up but then the rain came again and with that well dangerous conditions trek lead looked to be really worn out from their efforts early on. We didn’t see them up at the front. Then at that point, Inner Mare is contributing. And then in those final five kilometers, we see Jake up the front. We see Israel Premier Tech and all you Jake Stewart fans out there. We confirmed with him this morning. We can call him Jake the Snake. And that he confirmed that it’s not just my nickname, Jake the Snake, and that they were working for him instead of Pascal Acriman for the sprint finish. Remember Jake the Snake picked up sprint victory there in the doofan, beating none other than yes, Jonathan Milan. We wished it was going to be a clean sprint because talking at the finish afterwards to Tim Miri said this was his last chance. He doesn’t think Paris is going to be a sprint with that Mont climb added uh in the sprint in the circuits there before we finish up on the Shan Le a terrible incident in that final one kilometer that knocked down a lot of the sprinters. Thankfully it looks to be early reports our GC riders are okay. We’re going to have to get those controls on Bennium GMA. Then we had this reduced bunch of around 10 riders into the final. We saw the national championship jersey of Kakastan up there at the front. It was fuffing off leading off for David Ballerini. Power punch up to the line, but it wasn’t to be. We saw a strong kick of picnic post. We saw over there on the other side, well, the green figure of Jonathan Milan, but Arnold Dele had his lead out man powering up to the front. Dele was squirly at one point cuz I think he almost overlapped with Milan’s wheel. nearly lost control of his Yordi Mayuse giving Milan a run and a bike throw to the line, giving Milan the hardest time to try to pull off victory. But Milan pulls off victory and a second stage win in this tour to France with the pressure on his shoulders to really perform because Little Trek hasn’t been performing that well. Hasn’t been working that well in this race. But they pull it off today with the stage victory justifying maybe his position as sprinter in this race leaving Matt Patterson to race the Giratali before the turn of France. Milan picks up victory. Questions over Benium G. As we go into stage 18, Kodell Laos tomorrow at the end of stage 17 in Valance. A rainy wet tour to France. Jonathan Milan Italian coming out on top.
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Cue up "Wipe Out" from the Surfaris.