The Tudor Pro Cycling Team sprinter was the fastest in the sprint in Montargis on Monday, after a stage driven at a low pace.
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Here is the traditional straight stage, a mandatory stage in stage races that is especially expected by sprinters. At the end of the royal sprint, Arvid de Kleijn won this second stage of Paris-Nice, connecting Thoiry and Montargis (179 km), Monday 4 March. The Tudor Pro Cycling Team rider beat Laurence Pithie (Groupama-FDJ) and Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco-AlUla). The winner of Sunday’s first stage, Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a bike) could not participate in the sprint, and lost the leader’s jersey to the New Zealander from Groupama-FDJ, who was already third on Sunday. The first Frenchman, Hugo Hofstetter finished in 12th place in this second big sprint.
Mathieu Burgaudeau (TotalEnergies) and Jonas Rutsch (EF Education-EasyPost), who had already escaped yesterday, led the race on the two climbs listed at the start of the course. The Frenchman took the polka dot shirt off the German as the best climber, taking the lead on the Villeconin climb. At the same time, he made sure to wear the tunic until Wednesday, the day after the team time trial. The rest of the stage, flat and without suitable terrain, offered no chance to the attackers, who were content to wait in the heart of the peloton.
A time trial awaits the drivers on Wednesday
On Tuesday, the team time trial in Auxerre, 27 km long, will increase the first differences between the contenders for the final victory. The new practice format, tested last year and renewed for this 82nd edition of Paris-Nice, should favor the best riders. Each driver’s time will be taken into account for their own general standings, as in the individual time trial, and each team’s time will be calculated by the fastest driver, and no longer by the fourth.
