Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain Merida) has taken the victory in the second stage of the 2017 Paris Nice on a stage made tougher by atrocious weather conditions. The Italian rider crossed the finish line ahead of John Degenkolb (Trek-Segafredo) and Arnaud Demare (FDJ).
“It’s such a special day. My first World Tour win, the biggest win of my career. I’m really happy. It has been a really hard stage, with heavy rain and a lot of echelons. I did a great sprint. I feared they could catch me in the final meters, but I tried to resist. I was riding at Paris-Nice for the first time, to prepare for Milano-Sanremo, because I would like to change my approach to that important race, but now I’m here and there will also be other stages that suit me, so I will focus on Milano-Sanremo after this race.”, said Colbrelli.
Demare, who won the opening stage, remains in the overall lead, six seconds ahead of Julian Alaphilippe. Philippe Gilbert is third, a further 11 seconds behind.
Richie Porte had a torrid time in the crosswinds and fell more than 15 minutes off the pace as his hopes for a third title all but evaporated.
Tuesday’s third stage is again mainly flat and there is more rain and wind expected along the 190-kilometer (118-mile) route from Chablis to Chalon-sur-Saon.
Le premier sprint massif de cette édition à revivre ! / Relive the last kilometer and Colbrelli’s fabulous sprint! #ParisNice pic.twitter.com/CET7IzpVXs
— Paris-Nice (@ParisNice) 6 martie 2017
Paris-Nice 2017 – stage 2 results (Rochefort-en-Yvelines – Amilly):
| 1 | Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain Merida) | 4:20:59 |
| 2 | John Degenkolb (Trek-Segafredo) | ,, |
| 3 | Arnaud Demare (FDJ) | ,, |
| 4 | Dylan Groenewegen (LottoNl-Jumbo) | ,, |
| 5 | Christophe Laporte (Cofidis) | ,, |
| 6 | Matti Breschel (Astana) | ,, |
| 7 | Oliver Naesen (AG2R) | ,, |
| 8 | André Greipel (Lotto Soudal) | ,, |
| 9 | Alexander Kristoff (Katusha-Alpecin) | ,, |
| 10 | Evaldas Siskevicius (Delko Marseille Provence KTM) | ,, |
General classification after stage 2:
| 1 | Arnaud Demare (FDJ) | 7:43:28 |
| 2 | Julian Alaphilippe (Quick-Step Floors) | +06” |
| 3 | Philippe Gilbert (Quick-Step Floors) | +17” |
| 4 | Alexander Kristoff (Katusha-Alpecin) | +19” |
| 5 | Tony Gallopin (Lotto Soudal) | ,, |
| 6 | Romain Hardy (Fortuneo – Vital Concept) | +21” |
| 7 | Daniel Martin (Quick-Step Floors) | +23” |
| 8 | Sergio Henao (Team Sky) | ,, |
| 9 | Rudy Molard (FDJ) | ,, |
| 10 | Kristijan Koren (Cannondale-Drapac) | +31” |
