Paris-Nice: Egan Bernal shows his form and grabs bonus seconds on Stage 1
The 2024 edition of Paris-Nice, the prestigious eight-day stage race, kicked off on Sunday with a hilly route around Les Mureaux.
The first stage saw some of the favorites for the overall victory make their moves in the final kilometers, with Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) and Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers) among the most active.
The two former Grand Tour winners attacked on the last two climbs of the day, taking advantage of the bonus seconds available at the summit and in the intermediate sprint. Evenepoel, the reigning Vuelta a Espana champion, gained four seconds, while Bernal, the 2019 Tour de France winner, gained two seconds.
Bernal, who is co-leading INEOS Grenadiers with Carlos Rodriguez, was happy with his performance and his team’s work. “It was a nervous stage, really hard, but we did a good job.
We can be happy with our day and our performance. The bonus seconds? The plan was to move in the last climb, but I was well positioned and I saw the opportunity to follow the first riders. It was not the main objective of the day, but those seconds were there and I took them,” he said after the stage.
Bernal, who suffered a serious crash in 2022 that affected his back and his form, is showing signs of recovery and ambition. He started the season with a fourth place at the Tour de la Provence and a second place at the Tour des Alpes Maritimes et du Var, where he won a stage.
He is now sixth in the general classification of Paris-Nice, eight seconds behind the leader Olav Kooij (Team Visma | Lease a Bike).
Kooij, a 22-year-old Dutch sprinter, surprised the favorites by beating Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) and Laurence Pithie (Groupama-FDJ) in the uphill finish. He claimed his third victory of the season and his first WorldTour win.
He also became the first leader of the 82nd edition of Paris-Nice, also known as the Race to the Sun. He will wear the yellow jersey on Monday’s second stage, which is expected to be another day for the sprinters.
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