Former winner Luis Leon Sanchez outsprinted breakaway companion Jens Voigt to win Friday’s sixth stage of the Paris-Nice race.
Since his overall win in the race in 2009, Spanish time-trial champion Sanchez has won a Tour de France stage and the Clasica San Sebastian, but failed to turn into the big Tour contender some had predicted he would become.
Friday’s win, his fourth in the Paris-Nice, was a reminder that he was still a rider to be reckoned with.
Photo: AFP
The Spaniard, though, has no hope of final victory in a race still led by Briton Bradley Wiggins after finding himself trapped in an echelon in the second stage.
“Our goal in this Paris-Nice was to get a good overall result with a very competitive team,” said Sanchez, who joined Dutch outfit Rabobank last season. “But we were trapped in the echelon on Stage 2 and had been looking for a stage win since.
“The peloton rode at a fast pace, but I really wanted this stage badly. I thought about it from the start. I kept trying and thinking about my brother and I made it,” said Sanchez, whose eldest brother, Leon, died in a motorbike accident in 2005 at the age of 23.
The Spaniard and Voigt, the oldest man in the peloton at 40, found themselves in the front after dropping their companions in a seven-man break on the final of five hills on Friday’s route.
In the final stretch, the German surged first with 300m to go, before being overtaken on the line.
“I’m sorry for Jens, but only one man could win. He deserved it too,” Sanchez said, adding that he would love to see his compatriot Alejandro Valverde top the final standings. “I would love to see Alejandro win because he’s a friend and we train together often, but it’s complicated for him and Wiggins is very strong.”
Valverde is fourth, 18 seconds behind Wiggins, and Friday’s ride from Suze-la-Rousse confirmed it would be tricky for the Movistar team leader to outdo the Briton.
After f4km, Wiggins and 25 other riders used the mistral wind on the roads of Provence to catch their rivals off guard and Valverde found himself trapped at the back and forced to chase from behind for 50kms.
Even though the move was finally reined in, it was a clear indication of the Briton’s form. The Team Sky rider leads Dutchman Lieuwe Westra by six seconds overall, while American Levi Leipheimer is third, 10 seconds adrift.
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