In front of a large crowd, the native of Saint-Laurent-du-Var, Amaël Moinard, claimed victory in the final stage of Paris-Nice. The Cofidis rider finished ahead of another Frenchman: Thomas Voeckler. The two men led the race from the start and contested the victory in a sprint. The group of favorites, led by Valverde, finished just behind. In the overall standings, it’s Alberto Contador of Astana who takes the win, ahead of two other Spaniards: Alejandro Valverde and Luis-Leon Sanchez. Christian Estrosi, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Laurent Jalabert, among others, presented the trophies to the winners. Furthermore, the day’s winner also secured the polka dot jersey.
Moinard on his home turf
The two breakaway riders of the day escaped from the peloton at kilometer 50 despite the strong wind. They were not caught over the 119 kilometers of the circuit around Nice. Attacked by Voeckler in the final kilometers, Amaël Moinard remained calm on terrain he knows very well. He kept his pace to gradually catch up with the B-Box rider and clinch the most significant victory of his young career. “I knew the Col d’Eze by heart. I didn’t panic because I knew I could calmly get back in the descent. I let him tire himself out, knowing that I needed to save energy for the sprint.”
