Image 1 of 5
Michael Storer (Tudor Pro Cycling) scored the stage win on the penultimate stage of Paris-Nice, the Australian soloing residence for the ultimate 2km of a truncated stage 7 from the breakaway.
Storer raced to the seventh win of his profession, and first with Tudor, after abandoning Mauro Schmid (Jayco-AlUla) in the direction of the highest of the 7.3km, 7.2% closing climb.
He’d solo to the road at 20 seconds up on the Swiss champion, celebrating the win in pouring rain after 109km of racing. Tobias Steinhauser (EF Education-EasyPost) rounded out the rostrum at 30 seconds.
The stage was minimize by 39km as a consequence of poor climate at excessive altitudes, that means the battle was all in regards to the closing climb to Auron.
There was extra of a battle among the many breakaway riders than the GC males, nevertheless, with solely Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) hanging out within the last kilometre to realize three seconds on the opposite main GC contenders.
Race chief Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease A Bike) completed alongside Thymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers) and João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), with the Dutchman transferring as much as third total following the crash and abandon of Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) with 50km to go.
Jorgenson leads Lipowitz by 37 seconds forward of Sunday’s last stage within the hills round Nice, whereas Arensman is third at 1:20. Storer jumps up 9 GC spots to fourth at 2:25, whereas Almeida lies in fifth at 2:40.
How it unfolded
The penultimate stage of Paris-Nice can be a modified and shortened route with two climbs faraway from the menu as a consequence of poor climate at excessive altitudes. As a end result, the 147.8km stage would as an alternative solely take the riders 109.8km from Nice to Auron.
The riders would nonetheless have the second-category Côte d’Aspremont (9km at 5%) after 20km to take care of, together with a gradual 50km rise to Isola earlier than the ultimate ascent – 7.3km at 7.2% to the summit end at Auron.
Given the truncated nature of the stage, it was no shock that breakaway candidates sped off from the very begin to attempt to make the transfer of the day.
Initially, a bunch of 12 made it up the street, with strong climbers Michael Storer (Tudor) and Mauro Schmid (Jayco-AlUla) accompanied by teammates Kelland O’Brien and Marco Haller.
There’d be some shuffling – riders dropping away, extra assaults from behind – on the Côte d’Aspremont – nevertheless, with seven new riders bridging throughout as three, together with Haller, dropped away.
In the top, Storer, Schmid and O’Brien have been joined out entrance by Josh Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers), Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious), Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost), Bruno Armirail (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor), Clément Izquierdo (Cofidis), the Groupama-FDJ pair of Stefan Küng and Johan Jacobs, and the TotalEnergies duo of Jordan Jegat and Alexandre Delettre.
Back within the peloton it was Visma-Lease A Bike in cost to guard Matteo Jorgenson’s yellow jersey, although solely Storer – at 3:55 down – was anyplace near resembling a GC risk.
The hole to the breakaway went out to 2 minutes over the climb and the next unclassified hill, and the group started the lengthy drag to Isola with 2:30 on the peloton. Lidl-Trek had joined the fray within the chase, however at 51km to go along with the rain falling, they misplaced their chief Mattias Skjelmose, who crashed out of the race after hitting a divider in the course of the street.
The 15 males up entrance stayed intact in the meantime, no person dropping away because the race hit the intermediate dash at Isola. Further again, the peloton lay at 2:40 down with Nils Politt placing the work within the chase for UAE Team Emirates-XRG.
By the time the ultimate climb began, underneath heavy rain, the peloton lay two minutes down on the break, which nonetheless had its full complement of 15 males. That wouldn’t final, nevertheless, as Delettre, Alaphilippe, and Jacobs let go early on the ultimate ascent.
In the peloton, Jhonatan Narváez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) took over the pacemaking heading into the ultimate 5km, bringing the hole right down to 1:20 as extra riders dropped from the break – Izquierdo, Küng, Wright, Armirail.
By the time the break hit the ultimate 4km, with Ineos Grenadiers now main the peloton, solely Schmid and Storer remained up entrance, with EF duo Powless and Steinhauser the ultimate two hangers-on.
The pair continued for a kilometre, at which level Storer pushed on to depart Schmid behind, hanging out alone for the stage win. The Swiss rider briefly held on a number of seconds again, however he had no reply for Storer, who raced into the ultimate kilometre alone and went on to assert victory.
Further down the mountain, Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) made a transfer off the entrance of the peloton, taking Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious) with him, whereas GC contender João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) was in bother on the rear of the group.
Gall and Martinez, who have been nicely out of GC rivalry, raced on to complete in sixth and seventh, 57 and 64 second down. Eighth place was taken by Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), who jumped out of the primary peloton of prime contenders to realize three seconds on the line.
Jorgenson’s GC group noticed the highest contenders end along with no main time features or losses, whereas a powerful inexperienced jersey Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) put in a terrific experience to complete among the many climbers.
Results
Results powered by FirstCycling