@Paris Nice
Paris-Nice: Pogacar, the art and the style
Tadej Pogacar continued his sparkling start to the season by winning the 81st edition of Paris-Nice. Above all, the Slovenian impressed with his mastery as the winner of three stages, and already sends a strong signal to his rivals four months ahead of the Tour de France.
In yellow after his success at La Loge des Gardes during the 4th stage, the leader of UAE Team Emirates never panicked despite the good form displayed by David Gaudu, the runner-up in the final classification, and the attacks of Jonas Vingegaard, 3rd at the finish but too short of form to compete with the double winner of the Tour de France. Pogacar, who comes from Komenda, showed his strength by taking prestigious victories at the top of the Col de la Couillole as well as on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice. “It was a good choice to participate in this race,” he explained at the finish. “We finished under the sun with a great victory, the Yellow Jersey… I’m super happy. We did well as a team. I feel in very good condition as well, but I think I still have a little room for improvement. Not much, but still…”
With nine victories in 13 days of racing, Tadej Pogacar has started the 2023 season on a high note and is now heading for Milan-San Remo, his next big goal for a season that he hopes will be gargantuan.
Final classification: 1. Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) ; 2. Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) ; 3. Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma)…
Stages won by: Merlier (Soudal – Quick Step) ; Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) ; Jumbo-Visma ; Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) ; Kooij (Jumbo-Visma) ; 6th stage cancelled due to heavy winds ; Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) ; Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates).
*****
Tirreno – Adriatico: Roglic also succeeds in his comeback
Like Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) and Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma), Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) also won as soon as he returned to racing.
Following his victory in 2019, the Slovenian won Tirreno-Adriatico for the second time in his career after a controlled week. Winner of three stages, the leader of the Dutch squad was never worried about his win ahead of Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) and Tao Geoghegan Hart (INEOS Grenadiers). “It’s nice to get back in the race like that and win,” Roglic said. “I enjoyed this whole week. My teammates were very strong, and I would have liked to have them with me on the podium to celebrate together. A week ago, I mostly expected to suffer, I just wanted to race again. But everything went well. The fact that I got some good results makes it even better. As the Giro d’Italia approaches, it is above all a confirmation that we are doing well. We have to keep working to improve and we always try to do that.”
Note also the fine week of Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin – Fenix), winner of two stages in the sprint.
Final classification: 1. Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) ; 2. Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) ; 3. Geoghegan Hart (INEOS Grenadiers)…
Stages won by: Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers) ; Jakobsen (Soudal – Quick Step) ; Philipsen (Alpecin-Fenix) ; Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) ; Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) ; Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) ; Philipsen (Alpecin-Fenix).
*****
Upcoming races :
15 March: Danilith Nokere Koerse, https://www.nokerekoerse.be/
15 March: Milan – Turin, https://www.milanotorino.it/en/
16 March: Grand Prix de Denain – Porte du Hainault, https://gpdenain.fr/
17 March: Bredene Koksijde Classic, https://bredenekoksijdeclassic.be/
18 March: Milan – San Remo, https://www.milanosanremo.it/en/
19 March: Cholet – Pays de la Loire, https://www.choletpaysdelaloire.fr/
19 March: Trofeo Alfredo Binda – Comune di Cittiglio, https://www.cyclingsportpromotion.com/