While his Slovenian compatriot Tadej Pogacar flies over Tirreno Adriatico, Primoz Roglic is on track to take control of Paris-Nice. The leader of the Jumbo team won the 7th and penultimate stage on Saturday at the Col du Turini and secured his position at the top of the classification before the trap of the last day.
As in 2021, Roglic won in the only finish at the top of the event, without however trying to widen the gap. Winner for the first time of the season, he extended his lead to 47 seconds over his runner-up, the Briton Simon Yates (BikeExchange).
Colombian Daniel Martinez (Ineos) is one minute away. The Colombian Nairo Quintana (Arkéa-Samsic), who hung on to keep in touch on the ascent, and the Portuguese Joao Almeida (UAE Emirates), distanced before returning in the final, finished a handful of seconds.
The climb of the Turini, the longest made by the peloton at this time of the year (14.9 km at 7.3%), clarified the hierarchy. To the detriment of Pierre Latour (TotalEnergies), who let go 7 km from the summit and dropped from 3rd to 8th place in the general classification.
Roglic, taught by the misadventure of last year when he fell twice on the last day, declared himself satisfied with his performance (“I felt I had good legs”) but he was careful not to triumph in sight of what should be Sunday the first success of a Slovenian runner in 80 editions of the “race to the sun”. Provided you avoid the pitfalls of a short last stage (115.6 km), muscular, traditionally very lively.
The course, with departure and arrival in Nice, multiplies the climbs (five) and the descents in the hinterland of Nice on a profile in the shape of a roller coaster. The summit of the Col d’Èze, the last difficulty tackled by an unprecedented route, is located just 15 km from the finish on the Promenade des Anglais, the historic site of the conclusion of the event which the organizers had to give up during the last two editions due to the Covid pandemic.
“I know these roads well, I do them in training, commented Roglic, his little boy on his arm before climbing the podium installed at Turini, between the patches of snow, at 1,607 meters above sea level. Everything will depend on the weather, we know that the weather will not be good (Editor’s note: rain announced by forecasters), I will adapt. »
The peloton, decimated in recent days by bronchitis and other flu-like conditions, was further reduced on Saturday between non-runners and dropouts. Bad luck, moreover, struck: Luxembourg champion Kevin Geniets (Groupama FDJ) was knocked to the ground by… an advertising board knocked down by a gust of wind in the starting area.
