Italian rider Jonathan Milan has timed his attack perfectly to win the eighth stage of the Tour de France in a sprint finish.

Tim Merlier powered past Jonathan Milan to win stage nine of the Tour de France on Sunday, denying the green jersey holder back-to-back wins after Mathieu van der Poel's audacious solo attack ended in heartbreak just 700 metres from the finish.

Jonathan Milan is the first Italian to win a stage at the Tour de France since Vincenzo Nibali’s success in Val Thorens (stage 20 of the Tour 2019). That was 113 stages ago. Stage eight winner Jonathan Milan: "I think I still don't understand what we did. To come with expectations and dreams and to bring them home are two different things.