‘Vingegaardek excels in Tirreno Adriatico and Vlasovek impresses in Paris Nice’

Vingegaard conquered the Tirreno Adriatico while Vlasov clinched victory at the Paris-Nice. Vingegaard’s win came as a surprise, with Vlasov making a strong comeback in the European race. The Russian rider took advantage of the favorite’s slip-up in the last kilometers to secure the victory. Evenepoel, Jorgensen, and Roglic were in the leading group until the final moments, with Vlasov emerging victorious.

As for the UAE rider, Brandon McNulty maintained his leadership position, but Evenepoel gained four seconds in bonuses, Roglic gained two, and they both caught up by 21 seconds at the finish line. The upcoming stage promises to be exciting as we wait to see if McNulty can hold onto his leadership. Jorgensen trails by only four seconds in the overall classification, while Skjelmose is in 35th place and Evenepoel in 36th. Roglic and Bernal, on the other hand, are further behind.

The short stage was expected to see some breakaways, with Martijn Tusveld, Benjamin Thomas, and Johan Jacobs making an early escape. Tusveld had to stay behind due to a mechanical problem, while the rest faced challenging weather conditions. The Soudal-Quick Step team led by Evenepoel took control at the back, reducing the gap to 50 seconds. Eventually, the pace picked up, forcing Carlos Rodriguez out of the race, while Pello Bilbao fell behind.

Soudal maintained a steady pace with Vervaeke and Van Wilder, taking advantage of a bonus sprint, and with only 4.2 kilometers left to the finish, Evenepoel made a strong attempt. This move left only nine men remaining as they climbed towards the sanctuary of Madona D’Utelle (altitude of 1,188 meters).

Once Evenepoel was caught, Vlasov launched his attack. Many thought Roglic had a strategic advantage, but the Russian rider looked back, saw no one chasing, and went straight to the finish line. Evenepoel made another attempt with 1.8 kilometers to go, leaving Bernal behind and almost catching McNulty, but he couldn’t reach Vlasov, who claimed the victory.