It was the stage of the edges, that of all the dangers. And she kept her promises. This Monday in the plain of Beauce, between Auffargis and Orléans, the Paris-Nice peloton exploded under the impulse of a fairly strong side wind. Caught in a fall, David Gaudu is one of the favorites who lost everything overall. The day following its resounding hat-trick, the Jumbo-Visma had another almost perfect day. She was only deprived of a Van Aert-Laporte double by Fabio Jakobsen (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl), winner in the sprint of this 2nd stage ahead of the Dutchman and the Frenchman, who keeps the yellow jersey.
Paris – Nice
70 km from the finish, Mollema falls to the back of the peloton
2 HOURS AGO
Alexis Gougeard (B&B Hotels p/b KTM), Matthew Holmes and Philippe Gilbert (Lotto-Soudal) had the brilliant idea of anticipating the big battle, escaping from the start in the Chevreuse Valley. The breakaway of the day counted six minutes in advance before being taken back regarding sixty kilometers from the finish by an already very nervous peloton. So little disturbed by a fall at km 14, Wout Van Aert held the helm of a first group then reduced to around twenty units and which will cross the finish line with 36 elements including a good part of the favorites (Roglic, Quintana , O’Connor, Latour, Vlasov, the Yates brothers, Martinez and Haig).
Gaudu loses ten minutes and his podium dreams
Arriving 1’29” behind, in a 3rd group which also included double title holder Max Schachmann (Bora-Hansgrohe), Brandon McNulty and Joao Almeida (UAE Emirates), Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) is on the list of beaten. The Norman was unlucky. It was due to a mechanical incident that he lost his place in the leading peloton, regarding sixty kilometers from the finish. Almost a lesser evil when the gap had quickly reached two minutes. The damage is however irreversible for David Gaudu. Caught in a fall at km 65, the Breton crossed the line in 149th and last position and lost 9’52”. He is thus already drawing a line under his dreams of a podium. FDJ that Michael Storer and Valentin Madouas, potential fallback solutions, also dropped nine minutes.
Winner the day before in Mantes-la-Ville, Laporte keeps his yellow jersey. He even gained a second on his runner-up overall, who is no longer Primoz Roglic (+11”) but Wout Van Aert (+4”). After taking 3 seconds of bonuses in the intermediate sprint of Trainou, where he beat Van Aert, credited with 2”, the Varois turned into a luxury pilot fish in the service of the Belgian champion, as a return to good process following the victory offered Sunday to the French. The shot almost worked. Overtaking the train of Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl, Laporte launched the sprint at 300m. But Fabio Jakobsen was ultimately far too strong. The Dutchman easily disposed of Van Aert to afford (already) his 6th victory of the year. He will attempt the pass of seven on Tuesday, even if the final towards Dun-le-Palestel, quite steep, will not make his task easier.
Paris – Nice
The curbs, the wind, Latour does not “especially like that”
3 HOURS AGO
