Italy's Jonathan Milan secured a thrilling victory in the eighth stage of the Tour de France, showcasing his sprinting prowess on the flat 171.4km route into Laval's Espace Mayenne. The 24-year-old cyclist, making his Tour de France debut, outclassed Wout van Aert of Visma-Lease a Bike in a nail-biting finish.

Milan strategically positioned himself behind Mathieu van der Poel and Kaden Groves of Alpecin-Deceuninck in the final 200 meters, before unleashing a burst of speed that left Van Aert trailing. Groves finished third, rounding out the podium.

The stage was relatively uneventful for the general classification contenders, with defending champion Tadej Pogacar of UAE Team Emirates-XRG retaining the yellow jersey. Pogacar leads Remco Evenepoel of Soudal-Quick Step by 54 seconds, while Jonas Vingegaard of Visma-Lease a Bike remains a strong contender, sitting fourth overall.

Milan's victory also propelled him to the top of the green points jersey standings, amassing 192 points. Pogacar follows with 156 points, while last year's green jersey winner Biniam Girmay is third with 124 points.

Milan reflected on his win, stating, "I still don't understand what we did. There were expectations, dreams to bring it home. I was confident with the team. It was a bit stressful - I knew I had to wait as long as I could. We really deserve it."

The race, which saw temperatures soar to 30C (86F), will now head south with stage nine's flat 174km sprint from Chinon to Chateauroux. Chateauroux, affectionately known as 'Cavendish City' after Mark Cavendish's three victories there, promises another exciting sprint finish.

Stage Eight Results

1. Jonathan Milan (Ita/Lidl-Trek) - 3hrs 50mins 26secs
2. Wout van Aert (Bel/Visma-Lease a Bike) - Same time
3. Kaden Groves (Aus/Alpecin-Deceuninck)

General Classification After Stage Eight

1. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Emirates-XRG) - 25hrs 58mins 4secs
2. Remco Evenepoel (Bel/Soudal Quick-Step) - +54secs
3. Kevin Vauquelin (Arkea-B&B Hotels) - +1min 11secs