“They say offense is the best defense, so that’s what I did today”counted Tadej Pogacar in the organization of Paris-Beautiful just after the eighth and final stage of the race. A philosophy demonstrated pedal by pedal for many years that led him to become the great benchmark of the international peloton on his own merits.
Minutes before, of course, Pogacar can’t skip his own road map. With the general classification of the race very good on the track since his stage victory the previous day, the Slovenian once again showed that every day is a new opportunity to win, that it is always better to take three stages in the bag to follow the a general classification rather than sticking to just two so, He attacked again, leaving David Gaudu and Jonas Vingegaard unable to respond on the final climb to Èze and He closed Paris-Nice with his third stage win and the overall classification.
If there is a list of pending challenges for talented cyclists on the international calendar, Paris-Nice is certainly on it. In the first change, in his debut, Pogacar associated him with successive exhibitions. He decided to change his calendar this 2023 to set aside the Tirreno-Adriatico, which he already won in 2021 and 2022, and focus on the French round. It’s already in his bag and added the second of seven major one-week laps to his record.
He achieved this after returning to show off on the final day of 117.5 kilometers starting and finishing in Nicein a short but massively explosive day, with climbs to levens (6.1km at 4.9%), Chateauneuf (5.4 km at 6%) and Berre-les-Alpes (6.3 km at 6%) in the first part of the race, three second category climbs. The ascent to the first of Peille (6.6 km at 6.9%) and Eze (6 km at 7.6%), the port called to decide the general just under fifteen kilometers from the end of the stage. Actually, it was determined before the climb ended after another devastating attack by the UAE Emirates runnerwhich left both Gaudu and Vingegaard sitting.
In the beginning, a great escape was formed, with nineteen leading men. However, the pace in the peloton was cruising all day, with UAE Emirates is always helpful with any slight concern for its leader but leaving others to work. Vingegaard, pending in the peloton, waited to see if he could have a chance on the final stage.
Who seeks him with zeal Wout Poels. The Bahrain-Victorious cyclist attacked to reach the leader of the race and stood alone as the leader of the stage with just over forty kilometers to go. But the response from behind was immediate from UAE, which started all the machinery to go cutting the differences every second before the ascent to Èze. So, in the intermediate sprint of about twelve kilometers before the start of the climb, Pogacar allowed himself the luxury of even accelerating. to be second and expand his income with Gaudu and Vingegaard in general.
The last attack left him for climbing Èze. About six kilometers were carved before it. Already in full ascent, Felix Grosschartner this imposed a devastating work rate for the race leader. People are cut off and Simon Yates tries to intimidate the leader.
Pogacar’s response, however, was disastrous. The yellow jersey attacked almost three kilometers to the top of the harbor, eighteen to the end of the stage. Vingegaard and Gaudu couldn’t help but watch their rival continue to turn a profit about fifty seconds in just three kilometers.
With no problems on the way down, Pogacar triumphantly headed in a goal in Nice where he once again raised his hands to the sky to celebrate his third stage win of the week, with 33 seconds ahead of Vingegaard, Gaudu, Simon Yates and Movistar Matteo Jorgenson (eighth in the final overall) and the double with the general classification, where he left Gaudu by 53 seconds and Vingegaard by 1:39. They will go nine wins this yearand he fought only three tests: he won the classic Jaén Paraíso Interior, overall and three stages of the Tour of Andalusia and overall and three other stages of Paris-Nice.
Another unlikely victory to continue building a record that already stands 55 in total at the professional level. Paris-Nice has been crossed out, for the first time, from the Slovenian cyclist’s to-do list. There’s still plenty left for the Tour, though If there is one thing that characterizes Pogacar, it is that he does not look beyond the here and now, with a voracious hunger in every race he competes in. For this reason, now he will have a few days to recharge his batteries and try to continue his successful year, facing another of the great events of the season: on Saturday March 18, Milan-San Remo with Pogacar looking for another monumental feat.
classifications
Stage 8, Nice-Nice, 117.5 kilometers
1. Tadej Pogacar (Slovenia/UAE Emirates) 2h51’02” (14″ bonus)
2. Jonas Vingegaard (Denmark/Jumbo-Visma) at 33″ (6″ bonus)
3. David Gaudu (France/Groupama-FDJ) id. (6″ bonus)
4. Simon Yates (Great Britain/Jayco-Alula) id.
5. Matteo Jorgenson (United States/Movistar) id.
general final
1. Tadej Pogacar (Slovenia/UAE Emirates) 24h01’38”
2. David Gaudu (France/Groupama-FDJ) at 53″
3. Jonas Vingegaard (Denmark/Jumbo-Visma) at 1’39”
4. Simon Yates (Great Britain/Jayco-Alula) at 2’14”
5. Gino Mäder (Switzerland/Bahrain Victorious) at 2’56”
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
