Colombia rules
March 16 th 2019 - 16:56
Paris-Nice took Colombian colours at the top of the Turini pass as Daniel Martinez (Education First) won the queen stage of this 77th edition ahead of compatriot Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana) while Egan Bernal (Sky) took the race yellow jersey away from team-mate Michal Kwiatkowski. Martinez and Lopez were both involved in a 39-man breakaway which took shape in the first 40 km of the 181.5-km long stage and went all the way, allowing Belgium's Philippe Gilbert (Deceuninck-Quick Step) to find himself an unexpected second overall with one day to go before the finish in Nice on Sunday
39 on the move
The start was given at 11:47 to 139 riders. Caleb Ewan (Lotto-Soudal), Dylan Groenewegen (Jumbo-Visma) and Edvald Boasson-Hagen (Dimension Data) did not start. In the first climb of the day, Cote de Gattieres (2nd cat), Belgium's Thomas De Gendt added seven points to his KOM tally. All breakaway attempts were quashed by De Gendt's Lotto-Soudal team-mates until km 39, when a group of 31 emerged, composed of Carretero (Movistar), Yates and Nieve (Mitchelton-Scott), Lopez and Cort-Nielsen (Astana), De Gendt (Lotto-Soudal) Garcia and Koren (Bahrain-Merida), Poljanski (Bora-Hansgrohe) Cherel and Frank (AG2R), Sergio Henao and Sutherland (UAE), Ciccone and Pantano (Trek-Segafredo), Arnaud Demare (Groupama-FDJ), Gesbert, Moinard and Pichon (Arkea-Samsic), Eenkhorn and Teunissen (Jumbo-Visma), Martinez (Education-First), Edet and Le Turnier (Cofidis), De la Parte and De Marchi (CCC), Hivert (Direct Energie), Gautier and Pacher (Vital Concept), Combaud, El Fares and Siskevicius (Delko-Marseille-Delko). A few kilometers latere, Bernard (Trek-Segafredo) Montfort (Lotto-Soudal), Declercq and Gilbert (Deceuninck-Quick Step), Politt and Spilak (Katusha) and Davies (Dimension Data) joined the front group, then composed of 39 riders.
De Gendt strengthens jersey
De Gendt collected seven points on each of the two following climbs, Cote de Gourdon (km 47.5) and Cote de Coursegoules (km 70) to bring his KOM tally to 50 points. At the top of Coursegoules, the lead of the 39 over the peloton was 4:00. In the first sprint of the day at Coursegoules (km 72.5), Philippe Gilbert collected 3 seconds. The start of the stage was too hilly for green jersey holder Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe) winner of stages 3 and 6, who called it quits as did France's Arthur Vichot. Mathias Frank (AG2R) was also forced out after crashing in the front group. The lead of the 38 reached its maximum of 5:15 at the bottom of the 3rd category Cote de Gilette, on which De Gendt picked four more points.
In the descent, the Belgian and nearest KOM rival Alessandro de Marchi (CCC) joined forces and went on their own but finally decided to wait for their companions as their lead reached a maximum of 6:30 (km 130). In the 1st category Cote de Pelasque, the front group kept losing elements as Mikel Nieve (Mitchelton-Scott) led the way for leader Simon Yates. Winner Anacona (Movistar) surged at the front of the peloton to try and the bridge the gap with the front. De Gendt was again fist at the top of the penultimate climb, leading his KOM score to 64 points.
Martinez conquers the Turini
With 15 km to go, Pavel Poljanski (Bora-Hansgrohe) attacked and tackled the Turini ascent in the front. Five kilometers later, the Polis rider was reeled in as Yates, Lopez, Cherel, Hanao, Ciccone, Gilbert and Declercq, Gesbert, Martinez, Edet, De Marchi and De la Parte, Hivert, Gautier and El Fares remained in the front. The bunch was still 6:20 adrift at this stage, meaning Philippe Gilbert (Deceuninck-Quick Step) was ideally placed for the GC, having started the day 2:01 behind race leader Michal Kwiatkowski. Simon Yates started the battle for the stage with 9 km to go and only Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana), Daniel Martinez (Education First) and Nicolas Edet (Cofifis) were capable of following the Briton. The last 5 km were a game of cat and mouse between the four, who all attacked in turn, were dropped and returned. In the last kilometer, Daniel Martinez surged with Miguel Angel Lopez on his heels and took the stage for a Colombian one-two. At the front of the peloton, as race leader Michal Kwiatkowski lost ground, his team-mate Egan Bernal managed to keep the yellow jersey in the hand of Team Sky. The young Colombian now leads Gilbert by 45 seconds in the GC, while another Colombian, Nairo Quintana, is third, 46 seconds adrift.