Winner of the third edition of the Mercan’Tour Classic Alpes-Maritimes, Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz takes over from Jakob Fuglsang. On home ground, Nice Métropole Côte d’Azur could not seize the opportunity to secure a good result.
Crossing 19 municipalities of the Alpes-Maritimes and covering nearly 170 kilometers was the condition for crossing the finish line. Besides variable weather, the competition was particularly fierce.
In the end, it took Richard Carapaz 4 hours, 47 minutes, and 59 seconds to complete the race. As a leading figure of the EF Education-EasyPost team, the Ecuadorian had to work hard this Tuesday to overcome Felix Gall (Citroën Team) and Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto Dstny), both of whom completed the podium ahead of young French hopeful Lenny Martinez (Groupama-FDJ). The reigning Olympic champion of the road race made the difference in the last minutes of the course by being aggressive seven kilometers from the finish. Last year’s winner, Dane Jakob Fuglsang, managed only a nineteenth-place finish.
Julian Lino the only survivor for NMCA
The race was much more challenging for the Nice Métropole Côte d’Azur. Comprising Edouard Bonnefoix, Tristan Delacroix, Damien Girard, and Jean Goubert, the team split in two after the crashes of Larry Valvasori and Andrea Mifsud. All either abandoned or finished outside the time limits except for Julian Lino, who finished in fifty-first place amid an obstacle-laden course.
For Nice Métropole Côte d’Azur, there’s no time for rest as they will be back in action as early as June at the Mont Ventoux Dénivelé Challenge (13/06), La Route d’Occitanie (15-18/06), and the French Championships (22-25/06).
Bilal Guermat
