Cyclingflash
Dorian Godon beats Biniam Girmay and Cees Bol in shortened queen stage of Paris-Nice

Dorian Godon beats Biniam Girmay and Cees Bol in shortened queen stage of Paris-Nice

Dorian Godon claimed victory in the significantly shortened seventh stage of Paris-Nice. Originally designated as the queen stage, a route change eventually led to a bunch sprint. Godon proved faster than Biniam Girmay and Cees Bol in the finale.

The penultimate stage was initially set to finish at the ski resort of Auron, featuring a final climb of 7.3 kilometers averaging over 7%. Due to wintry conditions, the organizers decided Saturday evening to move the finish line to Imola, 700 meters lower. On Sunday morning, they also removed the Côte de Carros (7 km at 5.1%) and Côte de Bouyon (1.7 km at 5.3%) from the early part of the stage. This left only a 47-kilometer route over gently rising roads.

Visma | Lease a Bike took immediate control in the opening kilometers. No one seemed eager to chase, but after a while, Tim Marsman (Alpecin-Premier Tech) launched an attack. The Dutch rider built a gap of just over half a minute. However, the peloton kept everything under control and caught Marsman with nine kilometers to go. He did earn the combativity prize.

Two kilometers after Marsman was caught, a new breakaway attempt came from Nicolas Vinokurov. For him too, it was an uphill battle. With five kilometers remaining, the bunch was back together. We were heading for a mass sprint, albeit on a challenging finish.

There was some thinning out, mainly due to two crashes. The second crash was especially serious. Harold Tejada, tenth in the general classification, went down hard. Mathias Vacek also crashed. This had no impact on the overall standings, as it happened within the final three kilometers. As a result, the top of the GC stayed intact.

Godon the strongest
In the ensuing sprint, Dorian Godon was well set up by the INEOS Grenadiers squad. The French champion launched the sprint himself and strongly held off his rivals. Biniam Girmay and Cees Bol settled for the next best places on the podium.