Cycling: Santiago Buitrago won the fourth stage of Paris – Nice as a soloist. The Colombian broke away from the favorite group just over 20 kilometers from the finish and proved to be the better climber compared to his companion Luke Plapp. But the Australian can console himself with the yellow jersey.
Buitrago leaves Plapp alone and wins
The fourth stage from Paris – Nice begins Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain – Victorious). The Colombian was together with the Australian for the last just over 20 kilometers Luke Plop (Jayco – AlUla) from the favorite group. When there was a threat of catching up with the strong duo, the UAE Team Emirates' follow-up work was suddenly stopped - presumably to prevent their competitors from gaining bonus seconds. So the two late breakaways were finally able to fight for the day's victory and the yellow jersey. The section took the professionals over seven mountain classifications through the Beaujolais wine regions. Due to the very undulating course, the drivers hardly had a look at the beautiful landscape. The pace in the main field was extremely high, for which the UAE and Bora – hansgrohe teams were primarily responsible.
Gaudu falls and loses time
The 82nd edition of Paris – Nice will be held for david gaudu (Groupama – FDJ) will probably not be remembered well. The Frenchman fell in the final phase and could no longer find his way back into the peloton. Also the Austrian Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) was involved in the crash, but was able to catch up again.
Burgaudeau defends his mountain jersey
The 183 kilometer long stage from Chalon-sur-Saône to Mont Brouilly was initially characterized by a four-man breakaway group. Jasper De Buyst (Lotto – Dstny), Stephen Bissegger (EF Education – EasyPost), Christian Scaroni (Astana) and Mathieu Burgaudeau (TotalEnergies) received a lead of several minutes. The last-mentioned Frenchman took advantage of this situation to further extend his lead in the mountain classification. However, the quartet had no chance of winning the day. Launched the decisive attack Luke Plop (Jayco-AlUla) and Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain – Victorious). However, they also benefited from the fact that the favorite group slowed down just a few kilometers before the finish, when they were already in danger of being overtaken.
The tape for Buitrago, the maillot jaune pour Plapp, the panache is récompensé c'est bien on en a marre des sprints entre grimpeurs au summer pic.twitter.com/jIszDFTGKn
— Cycling Legend (@CyclingLegend_) March 6, 2024