cycling
Arvid de Kleijn has won the second stage in Paris-Nice. After a billiard-level final towards Montargis, the Dutchman from Tudor Pro Cycling was the fastest in the expected bunch sprint, good for his first victory in the World Tour. The young New Zealander Laurence Pithie (Groupama-FDJ) came second and is the new leader.
The second stage was also the flattest of the week, because there was hardly any uphill during the trip between Thoiry and Montargis. Apart from a few skirmishes for the mountain jersey – captured by the Frenchman Mathieu Burgaudeau – and a short attack by the Dutchman Pascal Eenkhoorn, it became a historyless stage, in which the peloton was even half an hour slower than the slowest planned time schedule.
In the chaotic run-up to the expected bunch sprint, many teams were unable to get their sprint trains on track, but the Swiss wildcard team Tudor of initiator Fabian Cancellara did. Arvid de Kleijn was thus delivered in an excellent position for the sprint, and afterwards made it with a clear lead ahead of Laurence Pithie and Dylan Groenewegen. First Belgian Gerben Thijssen finished fifth, Dries Van Gestel seventh. Arnaud De Lie, still recovering after his fall in Le Samyn, did not participate in the sprint.
In the general classification, the young Pithie leapfrogs the Dutchman Olav Kooij to first place. Belgian champion Remco Evenepoel is the first compatriot in fifth place, six seconds behind. Evenepoel did not participate in the bonus sprint this time, unlike the Dane Mattias Skjelmose. It took four seconds.
An undulating team time trial of 26.9 kilometers will be completed in Auxerre on Tuesday in Paris-Nice. Just like last year, the individual times of the riders are used for the general classification.
