Gert Steegmans of Quick Step Battles to Paris-Nice First Stage Victory
NEVERS, France, March 10, 2008 (AFP) -
Belgian Gert Steegmans, racing for the Quick Step team, won a sprint finish for the first stage of the Paris-Nice cycling race here on Monday.
Prologue winner Thor Hushovd of Norway holds onto the overall leader’s yellow jersey after a stage which was cut in half because of rainy and windy conditions.
Instead of starting from Amilly the race was forced to get under way from the tiny village of La Chapelotte because of the adverse weather conditions, cutting the distance from 184.5km to 93km.
Sprinting up a steep finish 27-year-old Steegmans, winner of a stage of last year’s Tour de France in Ghent, crossed two seconds ahead of a small group which included most of the favorites.
“When we saw the wind blowing so strongly on the route the team decided to take the initiative,” Steegmans said.
“First of all to launch an escape and then to try to win in a sprint. But that proved not so easy. Philippe Gilbert, who was stronger than me, moved out front a bit too early and once I made my effort there was no one on my wheel.”
Hushovd of Credit Agricole said the wind made the going tough.
“When we found the wind alongside in the final 40 kilometers I stayed vigilant. Everything went well except for the final sprint,” said the Norwegian.
“Steegmans set off so strongly he was impossible to follow.”
France’s Jerome Pineau nipped in ahead of Hushovd and Belgian Philippe Gilbert to finish second.
Australian Cadel Evans, second in the 2007 Tour de France, finished in another group two minutes behind.
But the weather conditions did not prevent a toughly-fought race with Slovak Peter Velits, the reigning world junior champion, his Dutch teammate Niki Terpstra and Austrian Bernhard Eisel building up a lead of 4min 10sec before being caught ten kilometers from the line.
The gusts of wind, however, resulted in the peloton being fractured and Italian Davide Rebellin and Scot David Millar found themselves trailing at one point, before managing to fight their way back among the leaders.
Paris-Nice first stage results
Results from the 93km first stage of the Paris-Nice cycling race from La Chapelotte to here on Monday:
1. Gert Steegmans (BEL/QST) 2hr 21min 29sec
2. Jerome Pineau (FRA/BOU) at 0:02sec
3. Thor Hushovd (NOR/C.A) 0:02.
4. Philippe Gilbert (BEL/FDJ) 0:02.
5. Karsten Kroon (NED/CSC) 0:02.
6. Enrico Franzoi (ITA/LIQ) 0:02.
7. Mirco Lorenzetto (ITA/LAM) 0:02.
8. Bernhard Eisel (AUT/THR) 0:02.
9. Davide Rebellin (ITA/GRL) 0:02.
10. Aliaksandr Kuschynski (BLR/LIQ) 0:07.
11. Juan Manuel Garate (ESP/QST) 0:07.
12. Luis Leon Sanchez (ESP/CEP) 0:07.
13. Christian Knees (GER/MIL) 0:07.
14. Marcel Sieberg (GER/THR) 0:07.
15. Tom Stamsnijder (NED/GRL) 0:07.
16. Robert Gesink (NED/RAB) 0:07.
17. Gorka Verdugo (ESP/EUS) 0:07.
18. Matteo Tosatto (ITA/QST) 0:07.
19. Frank Schleck (LUX/CSC) 0:07.
20. Alexander Efimkin (RUS/QST) 0:07.
21. Andriy Grivko (UKR/MIL) 0:07.
22. Rinaldo Nocentini (ITA/A2R) 0:07.
23. Geoffroy Lequatre (FRA/AGT) 0:07.
24. Sylvain Chavanel (FRA/COF) 0:07.
25. Johan Vansummeren (BEL/SIL) 0:07.
26. Juan Antonio Flecha (ESP/RAB) 0:07.
27. Trent Lowe (AUS/TSL) 0:07.
28. Simon Gerrans (AUS/C.A) 0:07.
29. David Millar (GBR/TSL) 0:07.
30. Niki Terpstra (NED/MIL) 0:07.
PARIS-NICE OVERALL RESULTS:
1. Thor Hushovd (NOR/C.A) 2hr 26min 55sec
2. Gert Steegmans (BEL/QST) at 0:06sec.
3. Jerome Pineau (FRA/BOU) 0:12.
4. Karsten Kroon (NED/CSC) 0:12.
5. Andriy Grivko (UKR/MIL) 0:17.
6. Trent Lowe (AUS/TSL) 0:18.
7. David Millar (GBR/TSL) 0:20.
8. Matteo Tosatto (ITA/QST) 0:21.
9. Luis Leon Sanchez (ESP/CEP) 0:22.
10. Johan Vansummeren (BEL/SIL) 0:24.
11. Niki Terpstra (NED/MIL) 0:25.
12. Philippe Gilbert (BEL/FDJ) 0:25.
13. Enrico Franzoi (ITA/LIQ) 0:26.
14. Simon Gerrans (AUS/C.A) 0:26.
15. Juan Antonio Flecha (ESP/RAB) 0:26.
16. Sylvain Chavanel (FRA/COF) 0:26.
17. Gorka Verdugo (ESP/EUS) 0:27.
18. Rinaldo Nocentini (ITA/A2R) 0:28.
19. Juan Manuel Garate (ESP/QST) 0:28.
20. Tom Stamsnijder (NED/GRL) 0:29.
Selected:
22. Davide Rebellin (ITA/GRL) 0:33.
25. Yaroslav Popovych (UKR/SIL) 0:38.
29. Frank Schleck (LUX/CSC) 0:43.
37. Mickael Cherel (FRA/FDJ) 1:01.
41. Stefan Schumacher (GER/GRL) 2:44.
47. Bobby Julich (USA/CSC) 2:55.
48. Cadel Evans (AUS/SIL) 2:56.
89. Cyril Dessel (FRA/A2R) 4:06.
100. Sandy Casar (FRA/FDJ) 6:47.
116. Christophe Moreau (FRA/AGR) 7:03.
123. Damiano Cunego (ITA/LAM) 7:07.
155. Oscar Pereiro (ESP/CEP) 13:25.
157. Remy Di Gregorio (FRA/FDJ) 13:49.
159. David Moncoutie (FRA/COF) 14:04.
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