History cruelly repeated itself for Alberto Contador as the Spaniard missed out on a third Paris-Nice victory by just 2 seconds on Sunday.
Colombian rider Sergio Henao clung on to his dwindling overnight lead to win the biggest race of his career.
Last year, Trek-Segafredo’s Contador lost the race by four seconds.
Photo: AFP
Contador was in third place overnight — 31 seconds behind Team Sky’s Henao — heading into the eighth and final stage, which was the third straight day of tough climbing.
Contador came agonizingly close to adding to his wins from 2007 and 2010. He finished the stage in second place behind fellow countryman David de la Cruz of Quick-Step Floors and missed out on the crucial extra seconds of time bonus that a stage win would have given him.
“It was a beautiful race and I’m glad to have played a part in that,” Contador said.
The 34-year-old felt he might have slightly misjudged when to make his move over the 116km stage.
“I attacked from afar, but it was a little too far from the finish,” Contador said. “That’s the way I am. I have to try something. I can’t be content with sitting back. I have to take risks on the flat, in the climbs and in the descents.”
The 29-year-old Henao crossed the line in the peloton, 21 seconds behind Contador.
“This is the greatest victory in my career and to win it like this at the last meter of Paris-Nice is simply unbelievable,” Henao said. “I knew I had to suffer until the last minutes, but I had to do it for myself and for the greatness of Colombian cycling.”
TIRRENO-ADRIATICO
AP, FERMO, Italy
World champion Peter Sagan sprinted to another victory in the Tirreno-Adriatico, while Nairo Quintana retained the overall lead after the fifth stage on Sunday.
Sagan edged Thibaut Pinot of FDJ and Primoz Roglic of LottoNL-Jumbo on the narrow, cobbled climb to the finish of the 210km stage from Rieti to Fermo, Italy.
Bora-Hansgrohe’s Sagan worked his way back up to the front with 2km left and easily won out of a group made up largely of riders targeting overall victory.
“It was crazy. It looked like there was no tomorrow. The peloton went so fast,” Sagan said. “I’m very happy with my win today.”
Movistar’s Quintana stretched his lead slightly and was 50 seconds ahead of Pinot, who moved into second, and 1:06 ahead of BMC Racing Team’s Rohan Dennis.
Orica-Scott’s Adam Yates had been second, 33 seconds back, before pulling out with an illness.
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