MADRID, 5 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Belgian cyclist Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) signed up this Sunday for the first stage of Paris-Nice, over almost 170 kilometers in La Verrière, by beating the Irishman Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe) and the Danish Mads Pedersen in the sprint (Trek Segafredo).
Merlier had a good job from his team in the last kilometers, especially from Kasper Asgreen. The other teams also did their best to place their specialists in the sprint, but the Belgian champion was able to beat Olav Kooij (Jumbo-Visma), Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Dstny) or Michael Matthews (Jayco-AlUla). The best Spaniard was Iván García Cortina (Movistar Team), eighth.
The first of the eight stages of Paris-Nice was marked by different escape attempts, the most promising or long at least, that of Paul Ourselin (TotalEnergies) and Jonas Gregaard (Uno-X), who led almost the entire day until the attacks with 10 kilometers to go led by Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates).
The Slovenian was more in favor of going for the escape and then pushing for the bonus with six kilometers to go than a Jonas Vingegaard (Team Jumbo-Visma) who did not want so much spectacle for the first day. The Dane, Tour de France champion when he dethroned Pogacar last year, dosed the show in the first major duel of the season.
