Paris-Nice: Zakarin wins at the Madone d’Utelle
The harsh conditions experienced by professional riders this week during the 3rd stage of Paris-Nice gave way to bright sunshine for this first cycling event of the year, allowing participants to enjoy an exceptional discovery of the French Riviera.
Despite multiple attempts by Alberto Contador, it was the Russian Ilnur Zakarin who claimed victory at the summit of the Madone d’Utelle.
In the general classification, Michael Matthews, who was dropped even before the start of the climb, lost his yellow jersey to Geraint Thomas.
Before the final stage on Sunday around Nice, the Welshman holds a 15-second lead over Contador and a 20-second lead over Zakarin.
Ten riders are within the same minute, including the Frenchmen Tony Gallopin and Romain Bardet.
Today, 500 participants tackled the challenging 123 km course of the 2016 Paris-Nice Challenge, which largely mirrors tomorrow’s professional final stage: the Duranus Climb and the Peille Climb.
The start of the second course (96 km) brought together more than 300 riders.
