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EF Education First’s Dani Martinez wins queen stage of Paris-Nice

Egan Bernal takes over race lead from teammate Kwiatkowski, Houle now 21st

March 16, 2019
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Egan Bernal (Colombia/Sky) is well-poised to win his second WorldTour stage race, as he assumed the race lead from Polish teammate Michael Kwiatkwoski after Saturday’s queen stage of Paris-Nice. Another Colombian, EF Education First’s Dani Martinez, won the day, out-climbing the likes of Simon Yates and Angel “Superman” Lopez. Sunday’s hilly route around Nice is the race’s finale.

The Course

The riders faced six climbs spread out evenly over 181-km, with the 14.9-km, 7.3 percent summit finish Col de Turini as the day’s big battleground.



The GC Overnight

Sky was in the enviable position of having the first two positions on GC, with Kwiatkowski leading Bernal by 18-seconds. Astana’s LL Sanchez was the only rival withing a minute of Kwiatkowski, +0:22. Bob Jungels and Wilco Kelderman were a minute back and Nairo Quintana +1:04.

The Big Breakaway

On the first climb of the day, Cat. 2 Côte de Gattieres, King of the Mountains leader Thomas De Gendt nabbed the full points. By the next Cat. 2, De Gendt and Thursday’s time trial winner Yates were part of a 38-rider escape. Lotto-Soudal’s man took the maximum points on Côte de Gourdon and Côte de Coursegoules as well, cementing his KOM position.

Sky led the peloton, 4:10 back as the stage reached its midpoint. De Gendt tipping over Cat. 3 Côte de Gillette in the lead came with the breakaway mob 5:00 ahead.

Côte de Pelasque and Col de Turini

Peaking just 5-km from the start of Turini was Cat. 1 Côte de Pelasque, 5.7-km of 6.2 percent. The breakaway hit the foot of Pelasque nearly 6:00 in front, which made the day’s winner likely to be a fugitive. Stage 4 winner Magnus Cort worked at the pointy end of the group for his Astana teammate Lopez, who, like Yates, was buried in the GC in the hectic first two stages.

De Gendt led the way over Pelasque. Soon after Turini began, Pavel Poljanski (Bora-Hansgrohe) attacked his breakmates.

https://twitter.com/ProCyclingStats/status/1106827208608436225

A dozen riders including Yates, Lopez and virtual race leader Philippe Gilbert joined and dropped Poljanski. Yates bolted with 9-km to go and Superman Lopez and another trio of riders were able to match him. Lopez was able to go solo with 6.5-km remaining.

Back in the peloton, third place LL Sanchez and fourth place Kelderman fell back under Sky’s pressure. Up front, Martinez found compatriot Lopez’s wheel and as soon as Yates came back he attacked.

Kwiatkowski crumbled in the streamlined peloton. Bernal was now Sky’s main man.

In the final kilometre it was Yates, Martinez, Lopez and Cofidis’ Nicolas Edet vying for the win. Martinez skipped away and Lopez found his wheel. But the rider clad in purple and pin tie-dye would not be denied, winning by six-seconds.

Team principal Jonathan Vaughters could only mash his keys in delight.

Bernal thrust up the road and Quintana followed, the two finishing together. Bernal now leads Gilbert by 45-seconds and Quintana is a second slower than the Belgian.

Canadian Hugo Houle, who had been in 11th place for three days, slipped outside the top-20 after coming in 47th.

2019 Paris-Nice Stage 7
1) Dani Martinez (Colombia/EF Education First) 4:55:59
2) Angel Lopez (Colombia/Astana) +0:06
3) Nicolas Edet (France/Cofidis) +0:20
47) Hugo Houle (Canada/Astana) +12:09

2019 Paris-Nice GC
1) Egan Bernal (Colombia/Sky) 26:35:26
2) Philippe Gilbert (Belgium/Deceuninck-Quick Step) +0:45
3) Nairo Quintana (Colombia/Movistar) +0:46
21) Hugo Houle (Canada/Astana) +9:46

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