Like the Italians Dario Frigo and Davide Rebellin (in 2001) and the Colombians Nairo Quintana and Sergio Henao (in 2017), Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico have, in quick succession, celebrated two riders from the same country.
The essential Slovenians Primoz Roglic and Tadej Pogacar.
Star duo.
Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) has, after many disappointments, won his first World Tour race in France (he who dragged like a burden his retirement on the last day during the Dauphiné 2020, the Tour de France 2020 lost during the stopwatch the day before from the finish on the Champs-Élysées, Paris-Nice 2021 lost after piling up the falls on the last day and the Tour 2021 abandoned after a long way of the cross).
The leader of the Jumbo-Visma team (who scored a hat-trick during the 1st stage in Mantes-la-Ville and the 4th stage, then during the time trial in Montluçon) won the key stage of the Col de Turini, the day before the finish on the Promenade des Anglais (for a peloton decimated by an epidemic of bronchitis; 59 riders at the finish only).
An episode during which he once again came close to the worst.
Towed by Wout Van Aert, Primoz Roglic was able in extremis to ward off the threat represented by the Briton Simon Yates (Team BikeExchange-Jayco) and finally break the curse's neck.
Roglic (32) took the opportunity to win the 9th stage race of his career.
Only preceded by… Tadej Pogacar who has 10. Pogacar who never stops pushing the limits.
Already winner of the Tour of the United Arab Emirates and the Strade Bianche (after a long solo breakaway of which he has the secret), the double winner of the Tour de France has already pocketed 7 victories this season.
He is already one of the favorites for Milan-San Remo this Saturday.
"
Roglic (32) took the opportunity to win the 9th stage race of his career.
Only preceded by… Tadej Pogacar who has 10. Pogacar who never stops pushing the limits.
Already winner of the Tour of the United Arab Emirates and the Strade Bianche (after a long solo breakaway of which he has the secret), the double winner of the Tour de France has already pocketed 7 victories this season.
He is already one of the favorites for Milan-San Remo this Saturday.
"
Roglic (32) took the opportunity to win the 9th stage race of his career.
Only preceded by… Tadej Pogacar who has 10. Pogacar who never stops pushing the limits.
Already winner of the Tour of the United Arab Emirates and the Strade Bianche (after a long solo breakaway of which he has the secret), the double winner of the Tour de France has already pocketed 7 victories this season.
He is already one of the favorites for Milan-San Remo this Saturday.
"
the double winner of the Tour de France has already pocketed 7 victories this season.
He is already one of the favorites for Milan-San Remo this Saturday.
"
the double winner of the Tour de France has already pocketed 7 victories this season.
He is already one of the favorites for Milan-San Remo this Saturday.
"
I never think I'm unbeatable, even when I'm first.
I always think someone can come back, pick me up and attack.
I'm always careful, I never underestimate anyone
, ”summarized the new Cannibal of the peloton already turned with ambition to his new challenge.
By attacking to attack others.
Martin, Pinot, Bardet, Barguil... The French distinguished themselves in both races
In this extremely demanding context, the French distinguished themselves in the two stage races.
Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma), winner of the 1st stage of Paris-Nice, launched his new adventure with a bouquet.
Mathieu Burgaudeau (TotalEnergies) resisted the return of the peloton to brilliantly win, out of breath, the 6th stage of Paris-Nice.
The same day, Warren Barguil (Arkéa-Samsic) won solo on Tirreno-Adriatico.
Arnaud Démare (Groupama-FDJ), 2nd in the 3rd stage of Tirreno-Adriatico, and Bryan Coquard (Cofidis), 2nd in the 3rd stage of Paris-Nice, sprinted without achieving victory.
Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) occupies, as a habit, the place of best Frenchman on Paris-Nice (9th, in front of Aurélien Paret-Peintre, the runner of Citroën-Ag2R).
Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) has, him,
had a week full of promise by finishing 8th and first Frenchman in Tirreno-Adriatico.
Romain Bardet (DSM) taking 12th place.
Violently fallen during the Strade Bianche, Julian Alaphilippe tried a lot (escaped during the 3rd stage, then during the penultimate stage).
In the end, his ranking (33rd) poorly illustrates the debauchery of energy deployed (in particular to help Remco Evenepoel).
Winner of the "
Classissima
” in 2019, the world champion will however appear in the list of riders to follow.
Even if all eyes will be on Tadej Pogacar, the phenomenon (already winner of Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the Tour of Lombardy) who in a corner of his head has the Tour de France (from July 1 to 24, whose start will be given from Copenhagen) where he will aim for the treble…
