Sonny Colbrelli braves rain for victory in Paris-Nice stage 2

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):

General classification after stage 2: