“We still have some tough days that await us, the climbs,” said Milan. “But at the moment, we’ve had a lot of fun, and I’m really happy with how it’s going.
“We’ll keep fighting for the intermediate [sprints] and on the last day for the stage, but we’ll see how it goes. We have a bit more distance with the points and I’m a bit more relaxed, but I will keep fighting.”
Wednesday’s stage could be the final opportunity for sprinters to triumph this year as Sunday’s finale in Paris, which traditionally favours the fast men, features the Montmartre climb shortly before the finish so it could scupper their chances.
Milan, who is making his Tour debut having previously won the green jersey twice on the Giro d’Italia, had already claimed his maiden Tour win on stage eight.
But with Pogacar closing on him in the points race, Lidl-Trek were caught out yesterday as Milan was out of position to contest the intermediate sprint.
This time they ensured he was at the front of the peloton for the sprint, claiming 11 points after the breakaway, and the team helped Milan recover as he was dropped on the first of two categorised climbs.
The Lidl-Trek riders then played their part to reel in the lead group, from which Jonas Abrahamsen attacked with 12km to go only to be caught by the peloton with 4km remaining.
The wet conditions made for a treacherous finish and although Milan avoided the crash, it put some of his rivals out of contention as he sprinted to the line.
“This is a really fantastic team victory and I have to thank them from the bottom of my heart,” Milan added.
“I survived with the help of my team-mates. Without this, I would not be here. They delivered me in the best position [for the finish].”
