Cycling
Santiago Buitrago has won the fourth stage in Paris-Nice. The Colombian from Bahrain-Victorious arrived solo on the short but tough final climb ahead of Luke Plapp, who is the new leader. Remco Evenepoel made an excellent impression in the group of favorites.
A strong Ilan van Wilder showed himself in the service of Remco Evenepoel, who laid his cards on the table in the final kilometer in the search for a few more bonus seconds. But the Belgian champion was beaten for third place by Mattias Skjelmose.
However, Evenepoel had taken six bonus seconds along the way and now crossed the line 2 seconds faster than Egan Bernal and Primoz Roglic, among others. He thus gains three places in the general classification. Evenepoel is now fifth, 30 seconds behind Plapp.
“I thought I was third,” Evenepoel admitted to Eurosport after the finish. “Until they showed me here that Plapp was still riding for our group. Although that’s not a big thing, overall it was a good stage for us. Ilan (Van Wilder, ed.) was very strong, just like the others.”
Transition stages will follow on Thursday and Friday, where the escapees and sprinters may see their chance. The decision will be made in Paris-Nice on Saturday and Sunday with two tough final stages.
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Task De Lie
There was less news in the Lotto-Dstny camp, where leader Arnaud De Lie no longer appeared at the start of the fourth stage. He is still suffering too much from his fall in Le Samyn last week. “We are keeping the option open for Milan-San Remo for the time being, but normally he will be fit enough for the Flemish classics,” said sports director Dirk Demol.
Rash:
1. Santiago Buitrago2. Luke Plapp at 10”3. Mattias Skjelmose 37”4. Remco Evenepoel5. Egan Bernal 39”
