Paris – Nice 2022 – The Jumbo-Visma signs a hat-trick on the 1st stage, Christophe Laporte first yellow jersey! – Eurosport EN

These Dutch are crazy! While everything indicated that this first stage of Paris-Nice 2022 was going to end with an explanation in the sprint, the Jumbo-Visma decided to go all-in and scored an incredible hat-trick in Mantes-la-Ville this Sunday. Christophe Laporte, defector from winter in the Dutch formation, won his very first World Tour success at home in France ahead of Primoz Roglic and Wout Van Aert, his two leaders who decided to reward him for his enormous job. A rare fact in cycling but a real coup de force.

Well placed at the foot of the last difficulty of the day, the Côte de Breuil Bois Robert, a climb climbed twice, the coast the Jumbo decided to improvise and break the bank. Surprised to see the disorganized sprinter teams, just like the teams playing for the win in Nice, such as Ineos and Arkéa-Samsic, the Dutch improvised a major coup. It was Christophe Laporte who revealed this: it was not planned. We want to believe it, even if it looks like a very “Jumbo” tactic.

Schachmann big loser of the day

Less than 7 kilometers from the finish, the serious things began within the peloton, which spent its Sunday riding at a frantic pace. After making Rohann Dennis work before the foot of the ascent, Jumbo exploded everything under the impetus of Nathan Van Hooydonck and made quite a mess. The Belgian was then relayed by Christophe Laporte. The French took with him Primoz Roglic, Wout Van Aert and Zdenek Stybar, finally released. Laporte had to attack well, but just to make a selection, not cause such damage. The peloton of the other favorites arrived about twenty seconds late. Second in the stage, Roglic took 6 seconds of bonuses.

The real loser of this first stage was Maximilian Schachmann (Bora – Hansgrohe). The double defending champion could not hold on during the last visit to the Côte de Breuil Bois Robert and conceded 36 seconds on the line, without taking into account the bonuses. Another concern, he lost one of his lieutenants, the Austrian Felix Grosschartner, hit in the collarbone after a fall in the peloton 46 kilometers from the end. The other leader of the German team, Alexander Vlasov, arrived with the main field and the other favorites or underdogs for the title (Nairo Quintana, Adam Yates, Brandon McNulty, Simon Yates).

Before this crazy final, two groups had animated the stage. Starting at kilometer 5, the first had been taken up about 70 kilometers from the end. 46 kilometers from the end, before tackling the double loop of the final circuit, Yevgeniy Fedorov (Astana), Frederik Frison (Lotto Soudal) and Alexis Gougeard (B&B-KTM) had fled at the instigation of Frison, first to to leave. A threatening weather, this group was finally swallowed up by the peloton and its three robbers in yellow. Tuesday, place at the second stage between Auffargis and Orléans (159.5 kilometers). Good news for fans of Trafalgar shots, the weather forecast is calling for wind!