Cyclingflash
INEOS impresses in queen stage of Tour de La Provence, but Riccitello claims double victory

INEOS impresses in queen stage of Tour de La Provence, but Riccitello claims double victory

Matthew Riccitello has claimed victory in the queen stage of the Tour de La Provence. The Decathlon CGA CMA rider was dropped on the snowy final climb when Carlos Rodriguez attacked, but came back and then won a photo finish sprint against the Spaniard. The American is also the new race leader.

What type of stage was on the program?
The second and penultimate stage of the Tour de La Provence was the queen stage, featuring the Montagne de Lure (13.7 kilometers at 6.4%) in the finale as the decisive challenge.

In the morning, it was still uncertain in what form the queen stage could take place due to a heavy snowfall at the top of the 1500-meter climb. Ultimately, the climb was cleared of snow and the stage could be held in full.

Who were in the breakaway and what was their advantage?
Mathis Le Berre, Baptiste Gillet, Diego Pablo Sevilla, Estban Foucher, and Gustav Wang braved the cold on Saturday and were part of the early break for a long time. The five had a maximum gap of over five minutes but were reeled in one by one on the Montagne de Lure.

How did the final climb unfold?
On the final climb, surprise leader Arnaud Tendon quickly dropped off, after which INEOS Grenadiers raised the pace hard for team leader Carlos Rodriguez. The British WorldTeam made a big impression on the slopes of the Montagne de Lure, as with 4.5 kilometers to go, Brandon Rivera and Andrew August had reduced the group to seven riders. Besides Rodriguez, only Aurelien Paret-Peintre, Matthew Riccitello, Nicolas Breuillard, and Clement Champoussin were able to hold the wheel of the INEOS train.

Rodriguez ultimately launched his attack just under four kilometers from the summit. For a moment, it looked like the Spaniard might solo to victory, but within a kilometer Riccitello closed the gap again. In the end, the American and the Spaniard stayed ahead as a duo, setting up a sprint finish for the win. Riccitello proved just faster than Rodriguez in that sprint. The American also takes over the race lead.

What else stood out today?
Unibet Rose Rockets had hoped for a top result with Cedrik Bakke Christophersen and Wout Poels, but the Norwegian and the Dutchman finished outside the top 10.