SAINT-SAUVEUR-DE-MONTAGUT, France — American Brandon McNulty won the fifth stage of the Paris-Nice cycling event on Thursday, while Quebecer Hugo Houle took the opportunity to climb to 11th place in the overall standings.
McNulty, of UAE Team Emirates, won the 189km race from Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert to Saint-Sauveur-de-Montagut in four hours, 53 minutes and 50 seconds.
He beat Frenchman Franck Bonnamour (B&B Hotels – KTM) by almost two minutes at the finish line, while American Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar) completed the podium.
For his part, Houle, of Sainte-Perpétue, finished in 25th place at 5:52 behind McNulty. The Team Israel-Premier Tech cyclist learned some very bad news shortly before the start of the stage, since his compatriot, Montrealer James Piccoli, had to withdraw from the competition.
Houle, the last cyclist from the Israel-Premier Tech team still in the running at Paris-Nice, has nevertheless made a significant leap in the cumulative ranking. He is now 11th just 2:03 behind the leader, Slovenian Primoz Roglic (Jumbo Visma).
Briton Simon Philip Yates (BikeExchange-Jayco) is second at 39 seconds, followed by Frenchman Pierre Latour (TotalEnergies) at 41 seconds.
The sixth stage will take place on Friday over 214 km between Courthézon and Aubagne. The Paris-Nice cycling competition totals eight stages and will end on Sunday in Nice.
