Jonas Vingegaard secures maiden Paris-Nice title after final stage
Two-time Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard has secured his first Paris-Nice title after finishing second on Sunday’s final stage in southern France.
The 29-year-old was narrowly beaten to the finish line on stage eight by Frenchman Lenny Martinez, but his overall general classification lead was never in doubt.
Colombia’s Harold Tejada, who tasted victory on Friday’s sixth stage, crossed the line in third position as part of a small chasing group seven seconds behind the stage winner.
General classification dominance
The Dane finished a commanding four minutes and 23 seconds clear of Daniel Martinez in the final standings to comfortably seal the overall title.
His Colombian rival slipped drastically adrift in the general classification after suffering a crash with 50 kilometres remaining on the final day.
Conditions for Sunday’s 145-kilometre route, which started and ended at the Allianz Riviera in Nice, were significantly improved after heavy snow forced the shortening of Saturday’s summit finish.
Grand Tour ambitions
Vingegaard had initiated the decisive move on the final climb, leading Lenny Martinez away from the remaining peloton before the Frenchman found an extra gear to triumph in the sprint.
This early-season victory establishes a highly positive trajectory for the climbing specialist ahead of a demanding summer schedule.
He is now targeting a rare and ambitious Giro d’Italia and Tour de France double across May and July respectively.
