Paris-Nice Betancur takes lead from Thomas

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Paris Nice: Carlos Betancur wins stage 6 and Geraint Thomas is 4th but loses the jersey to Betancur and is 8 seconds back. World champ Rui Costa 3rd overall.

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Paris-Nice Betancur takes lead from Thomas 

Two from Two for Carlos
Colombian Carlos Betancur continues to make waves in the cycling world with his second stage win in two days.

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Race leader, Betancur. Photo: ASO/P.Perreve

With a short sharp steep climb to finish after 221 kilometres, Carlos Betancur countered a move by World Champion Rui Costa to overtake the Lampre rider and get to the line first just ahead of the the Portuguese rider. Another world champion (cyclo-cross) in Zdenek Stybar (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) took the final podium place ahead of yellow jersey Geraint Thomas for third place, three seconds after Betancur.

The stage win by Betancur and the bonuses see him leapfrog Thomas to lead overall by eight seconds with Rui Costa and those rainbow stripes eighteen seconds back in third. The stage also saw Vincenzo Nibali dropped after he’d tried to take the race on racing down the descent of the Col de Bourigaille but was unable to go with the leaders on the climb to the line and he finished 41 seconds back in 35th place.

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Geraint Thomas crosses the line in 4th place. Photo: ASO/P.Perreve

“I knew it was going to be long day, with a lot of kilometres, but that the finale suited me” Betancur explained. “My AG2R team were very cohesive and this is the result of their great work. It would have been difficult to do better than we did today.”

“I think Geraint Thomas remains one of my most dangerous rivals as well as Nibali but AG2R are among the best teams to help me in the mountains and to defend the yellow jersey.  (Former Italian pro) Michele Bartoli is like a father for me, I live one kilometre away from him and I could not think of a better inspiration than him to learn my job as a pro rider.”

“I’m a very ambitious rider. I know the first Tour de France is always difficult but I just want to prepare the way I prepared for the Giro last year and do the best I can for my team. For the past two or three years, Colombian riders have been coming to Europe and doing better and better even if it’s difficult because we’re so far away from our families. I’m a little bit tired and the two last stages are tough, we will see.”

Third placed Stybar admitted “today it was actually a hard stage. There was an early breakaway, but the pace was high the whole day. It was also a long stage, more than 220 kilometers and 10 kilometers of neutralization.”

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Photo: ASO/P.Perreve

“I was feeling good, even on the steepest sections on the climbs. In the final, I knew that Betancur and Costa were the two favorites and the two guys to control. When Costa went, I hesitated a little bit. I was afraid to exaggerate my effort in that moment and use up too much energy too early. Considering everything, it was probably a mistake”.

“I might have been better off to follow him in the final. There were a couple of turns in the final kilometer and it would have been better to move earlier, in order to have the best position. But in any case I am happy with this result, and how the team worked today for me, as well as for Bakelants. Now we are well placed for the GC. Tomorrow will be a crucial stage. The GC is really close, so that is why I also did the bonifications and took a second. Every second can count at the end of a race like that, when the GC is so close. Tomorrow is a key stage and the day after is likely less difficult as the stage is shorter. But, in any case, it will be a fight and a question to stay focused until the end. ”

Rui Costa meanwhile said “My compliments to Betancur: I was staring at the finish line that was approaching, I knew my advantage was good, but Carlo succeeded to complete a very difficult recover. He had very good legs to beat me – Rui Costa commented – This was the first selective stage of Paris-Nice, I could manage energies before the approach of the final climb.”

“My positioning in the group was interesting, so I was ready to start my action in the proper moment: it would have been difficult for me to do better, but it was not enough. The balance of the day could be good, but I would have really liked to win.”

“This evening, the overall classification is a little bit longer, the weekend will be very interesting and the fight will be hard: I’d like to give satisfactions to my team and my fans”.

RACE REPORT BY ASO

Carlos Betancur(ALM) emerged as the clear favourite to win the 72nd edition of Paris-Nice after his second back-to-back stage victory in Fayence, handing him the race leader’s yellow jersey at the expense of Geraint Thomas (SKY) on Friday.

The 24-year-old Colombian had saved a nightmare stage for his AG2R team the previous day in Rive-de-Gier but this time crowned an immaculate team effort to seize the reins with an eight seconds lead over the Welshman, who limited the damage by finishing fourth at the top of the steep final ascent overlooking Fayence. The other stage honours went to world road champion Alberto Rui Costa, pipped on the line by Betancur, and now third overall, 18 seconds adrift, while Czech Zdenek Stybar (world cyclo-cross champion) was third.

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Sylvain Chavanel  on the hunt for KoM points. Photo: ASO/P.Perreve

Chavanel strikes
The stage left without Simon Gerrans (OGE), who pulled out feeling unwell. After several unsuccessful attempts, Sylvain Chavanel (IAM), who had promised to “blow up the race”, kept his promise by attacking with seven other riders including Simon Yates. The Frenchman quickly found himself on his own but still managed to add four points to his polka-dot jersey on Cote de Bonnieux (Km 36.5) before winning the first intermediate sprint in Lourmarin (Km 45.5). In the same sprint, John Degenkolb (GIA) collected a two-seconds bonus, coming back within a second of race leader Geraint Thomas (SKY).

Ten on the move
Chavanel stopped his effort and more attempts took place before km 68, when ten men finally broke clear. They were Stephen Cummings (BMC), Jens Keukeleire (OGE), Mattia Cattaneo (LAM), Pim Ligthart (LTB), Giovanni Bernaudeau (EUC), Gregory Rast (TFR), Aleksandr Kuchynski (KAT), Adrien Petit (COF), Alessandro De Marchi (CAN) and Florian Vachon (BSE). Their lead topped at 3:15 after 99 kms. By the Cote des Tuilieres (km 164.5), the gap had been cut down to one minute as Chavanel and Thomas Voeckler (EUC) counter-attacked. The two Frenchmen caught the break at kilometre 169.

Battle of Bourigaille
While Chavanel collected four more points on Cote du Mont Meaulx (km 180), the main peloton, spearheaded by AG2R and Team Sky riders, steadily bridged the gap on a group gradually losing riders. At the foot of Col de Bourigaille, only Chavanel, Voeckler, Ligthart and De Marchi were left in the break. The polka-dot jersey holder insisted but was caught then dropped by Alexis Vuillermoz (AG2R) and Jose Serpa (LAM) at kilometre 198.

The peloton regrouped on the 200-km mark as Chavanel and Andy Schleck (TFR) lost ground definitely. Stephan Denifl (IAM) was first at the top of the first category ascent, followed by Vuillermoz, Frank Schleck (TFR), Przemyslaw Niemec (LAM), Yury Trofimov (KAT) and Eduardo Sepulveda (BSE). But the six were brought back in the descent.

Final showdown
With 10 km left, Damiano Caruso (CAN) and Dries Devenyns (GIA) launched a new brave attempt, quashed by a jittery Vincenzo Nibali (AST) who later paid for his efforts on the final climb. Betancur’s AG2R team-mates seized the reins in the finale and sent Vuillermoz scouting the terrain for Betancur. But the Frenchman was unlucky to crash in a turn before the final kilometer while stage 4 winner Tom-Jelte Slagter was stopped by a mechanical as he was still in contention.

World champion Rui Costa surged under the red flame to go for stage victory but could not get rid of Betancur, who took his wheel and overtook him on the line for his second stage win, crowned by a yellow jersey. Already winner of Haut-Var in the same region, the Colombian will now be tough to topple.

STAGE 6
1 BETANCUR Carlos Alberto AG2R LA MONDIALE 05h 12′ 11”
2 COSTA Rui Alberto LAMPRE – MERIDA
3 STYBAR Zdenek OMEGA PHARMA-QUICK STEP CYCLING TEAM + 00′ 03”
4 THOMAS Geraint TEAM SKY + 00′ 03”
5 VICHOT Arthur FDJ.FR + 00′ 03”
6 GAUTIER Cyril TEAM EUROPCAR + 00′ 07”
7 FUGLSANG Jakob ASTANA PRO TEAM + 00′ 07”
8 GALLOPIN Tony LOTTO-BELISOL + 00′ 07”
9 DENIFL Stefan IAM CYCLING + 00′ 07”
10 IZAGUIRRE INSAUSTI Gorka MOVISTAR TEAM + 00′ 11”

18 SCHLECK Frank TREK FACTORY RACING + 00′ 11”
50 YATES Simon ORICA GREENEDGE + 04′ 43”
57 SCHLECK Andy TREK FACTORY RACING + 05′ 12”
67 VOECKLER Thomas TEAM EUROPCAR + 06′ 32”

OVERALL
1 BETANCUR Carlos Alberto AG2R LA MONDIALE
2 THOMAS Geraint TEAM SKY + 00′ 08”
3 COSTA Rui Alberto LAMPRE – MERIDA + 00′ 18”
4 STYBAR Zdenek OMEGA PHARMA-QUICK STEP CYCLING TEAM + 00′ 22”
5 ROJAS GIL José Joaquin MOVISTAR TEAM + 00′ 24”
6 FUGLSANG Jakob ASTANA PRO TEAM + 00′ 25”
7 VICHOT Arthur FDJ.FR + 00′ 27”
8 BAKELANTS Jan OMEGA PHARMA-QUICK STEP CYCLING TEAM + 00′ 29”
9 GAUTIER Cyril TEAM EUROPCAR + 00′ 31”
10 DENIFL Stefan IAM CYCLING + 00′ 31”
11 VELITS Peter BMC RACING TEAM + 00′ 35”
12 SPILAK Simon TEAM KATUSHA + 00′ 35”
13 REICHENBACH Sébastien IAM CYCLING + 00′ 35”
14 GALLOPIN Tony LOTTO-BELISOL + 00′ 37”
15 JEANNESSON Arnold FDJ.FR + 00′ 45”
16 JUNGELS Bob TREK FACTORY RACING + 00′ 46”
17 IZAGUIRRE INSAUSTI Gorka MOVISTAR TEAM + 00′ 46”
18 CARUSO Damiano CANNONDALE + 00′ 49”
19 SERPA José LAMPRE – MERIDA + 00′ 54”
20 MONFORT Maxime LOTTO-BELISOL + 00′ 58”

 

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