Rudy Molard (Groupama-FDJ) surprised with a hard-fought solo victory during stage 6 of Paris-Nice on the climb in Vence. Tim Wellens (Lotto Soudal) finished second in the chase ahead of Julian Alaphilippe (Quick-Step Floors).
Luis Leon Sanchez (Astana), raced in for fourth place, and kept his lead in the overall classification after a challenging finale that saw second placed Wout Poels (Team Sky) crash and break his collarbone. Alaphilippe moved into second place overall, now 22 seconds behind Sanchez while Marc Soler (Movistar) is third at 26 seconds.
It was only the second win of Molard's career, but a prestigious one ahead of some big names.
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"It's fantastic, Groupama-FDJ's second victory Paris-Nice, and my first WorldTour victory," Molard said, adding he had some extra motivation and knowledge. "I live in Antibes nearby, I knew the final climb - I've done it a dozen times - and when the route for Paris-Nice was revealed in the winter I was delighted to see stage finish like that, one that's well suited to me. I was on a good day, it's fantastic."
The stinging climb of the Côte de la Colle sur Loup could have been a launching pad for victory, and AG2R La Mondiale's Alexis Vuillermoz gave it a go, but Team Sky's Sergio Henao chased him back. Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) attacked over the top and set a blistering pace on the descent, but was unable to stay away.
"I knew that on the Côte de la Colle sur Loup I had to follow the wheels but not give it everything. I saw Vuillermoz was doing a lot but I decided to sit there without making any huge accelerations as I knew it would come down to later on," Molard revealed. "I felt good and knew that if I waited for a sprint I'd lose. I attacked a couple of times but the last one was the good one."
Sanchez hangs on, Poels abandons
Chaos out of the gate
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest Race Results http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/paris-nice-2018/stage-6/results
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