Fernando Gaviria (Etixx-QuickStep) won Paris-Tours with a surprise late attack in the final 500 metres that allowed him to hold off the big-name sprinters and take arguably the most prestigious victory of his young career without waiting for the sprint finish. His victory completed a perfect day for the Etixx-QuickStep team after their victory in the men's team time trial at the UCI Road World Championships.
As the riders jostled for position inside the final kilometre on the famous Avenue de Grammont, Gaviria jumped to his right away from the bunch and surged down the barriers. He quickly got a gap and kept going with his arms on the hoods, as if he was trying to take a lap on the track in an Omnium event.
He nervously looked back but had a sufficient lead that allowed him to ease up before the line, kiss his bracelet in a kind of dedication and celebrate victory with his arms open.
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The Lotto Soudal and Katusha teams failed to close the gap and the other sprinters came too late to catch the Colombian. Arnaud Demare (FDJ) finished second with Jonas Van Genechten (IAM Cycling) third. They were caught in the photographs of Gaviria celebrating but were stunned by the 22-year-old Colombian’s late move.
Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) was in the mix after using his sprint to move up in the final 300 metres but he then eased up before the line finishing sixth, one place ahead of Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis).
252km covered at 47km/h
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