Matteo Trentin (Quick-Step Floors) claimed his second Paris-Tours victory in three years, out-gunning Soren Kragh Andersen (Team Sunweb) in a dramatic finale. Niki Terpstra crossed the line in third to give the Belgian team two riders on the podium.
Quick-Step Floors had pre-race favourite and defending champion Fernando Gaviria in the pack, but they had to think quickly when the Colombian was felled on a slick corner. Gaviria made it back to the tail end of the peloton, but it was clear that he was not going to get back to the front for the sprint. Taking his opportunity, Trentin attacked on the Côte de Beau Soleil and blew the peloton apart.
The Italian initially took other sprinters such as BMC's Jempy Drucker with him, as others scrambled to catch up. An increase in pace soon left Trentin with just Kragh Andersen for company, before Terpstra managed to clear the gap. Terpstra had been one of the last riders to make the initial split, after toiling across the gap, but this time his teammate eased the pace to allow him to get across.
ADVERTISEMENT
Quick-Step made good use of their numeric advantage, putting Terpstra at the front to take the brunt of the work. After a few tactical discussions, the chasers were visible back down the road, but the Belgian squad had time to execute their move perfectly. Trentin was first to strike out and Kragh Andersen was quick onto his wheel, but the Sunweb rider could do nothing to get past the charging Italian. It was the perfect way to close Trentin's career with Quick-Step Floors as he sets sail for Orica-Scott over the winter.
"I did what I did two years ago when I won. Of course, it was a bit different. We were in a big bunch and there weren't echelons here today. You know, with the light rain, the wet, and the course that was designed a bit different, it was a bit more technical in the approach to the climb," said Trentin. "I saw that the bunch was straight and people were making big efforts to stay in the front so I decided to give it a go.
"The first group formed and then with the second one I saw we were two and then I saw Niki so I decided to wait and then we worked perfectly together. He really made a perfect lead-out together. That's my way to finish the season and to thanks the team for these last seven year. I said it this morning in Instagram that the best way to end this chapter was winning and I did it and it's a nice feeling."
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest Race Results http://ift.tt/2xrBsK0
No comments:
Post a Comment