MADRID, 11 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Slovenian cyclist Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates) has won the seventh and penultimate stage of the Paris-Nice this Saturday, disputed over 142.8 kilometers between Nice and Col de la Couillole, and has strengthened his leadership of the general, which will try to tie this Sunday in the final day.
After the cancellation of the sixth stage on Friday due to the intense wind that caused trees to fall along the route, the French round returned to action this Saturday with a mountain stage, with the Côte de Tourette du Chateau, from first category, as the first stumbling block.
Up to twenty runners starred in the breakaway of the day, which remained at the forefront of the test until the final climb to Col de la Couillole, with 15.7 kilometers at 7.1%. There, the peloton of favorites managed to neutralize him, and then began a tough fight for the overall.
Pogacar jumped in search of victory with five kilometers to go, with the French David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) and the Danish Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma), second and third in the provisional classification, coming out at his wheel.
However, the Slovenian managed to distance himself from his rivals to reach the finish line with a time of 3:56:08, two seconds ahead of the French cyclist, now 12 seconds overall, and six ahead of the Scandinavian, 58 seconds away.
The ‘Race to the Sun’ will end this Sunday with the eighth stage, starting and finishing in Nice and with almost 2,500 kilometers of accumulated unevenness. The cyclists will cover 118.4 kilometers and will face five mountain passes, two first-class -including the final port of Col d’Èze, with 6 kilometers at 7.6%- and three second-category.
