The 83rd “Race to the Sun” has started. Stage 1 of Paris-Nice was contested around Le Perray-en-Yvelines this Sunday, and it ended with a bunch sprint as expected, despite a bit of action in the final. All the riders from the Groupama-FDJ cycling team finished safely in the peloton, including the GC leader Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet.
One hundred and fifty-six kilometres were to be covered this Sunday on Paris-Nice, through two circuits designed around Le Perray-en-Yvelines. While there were no major difficulties on the menu, two small climbs in the last twenty-five kilometres were likely to spice up the end of the race. Before that, a three-man breakaway led the way, but since the peloton controlled it closely, the attempt was brought back even before the last fifty kilometers. The final hour of racing proved to be nervous, with an intense fight for positioning before the various climbs. After the first of the two final hills, Stefan Küng made a first acceleration, which proved unsuccessful. In the second one, located just ten kilometres from the line, Thibaud Gruel followed the attacks before attacking himself. The young man was unable to break away from some of the big boys who competed for the bonus seconds at the summit. Then, Stefan Küng, made another attempt on the following flat section. “They got in the mix in the final, and it’s always better to be in front attacking than in the back,” commented Benoît Vaugrenard.
“They managed to avoid the traps”, Benoît Vaugrenard
Eventually, the peloton never completely split up, and the anticipated bunch sprint was then certain after a trio of late attackers was caught. Tim Merlier dominated the sprint, while the seven riders of the Groupama-FDJ cycling team finished in the pack. “We know that we don’t have much to gain but that we can lose a lot on these types of stages”, added Benoît. “For us, it was a good day regarding the general classification with Guillaume. They got through it without a hitch, and that was the goal today. We know that it’s never easy because the traps are everywhere with the village crossings, the narrowings, but they managed to avoid them so all the better. The day’s weather also meant that the wind was almost non-existent, which suited us too”. On Monday, the second stage towards Bellegarde, also made for the sprinters, could hold more surprises. “It will be even more exposed, therefore potentially even more nervous, but everything will depend on the wind direction,” concluded Benoît.
