Cycling Simon Yates has the individual time trial of Paris-Nice to his hand. The Brit Mitchelton-Scott was about 25,5 kilometres and seven seconds faster than Nils Politt. Michal Kwiatkowski was third and retains his yellow leader’s jersey. Dylan Teuns was eighteenth and first Belgian in 57 seconds.
Yates lost earlier this Paris-Nice a lot of time during the waaieretappes, and had to take an early start in the time trial in Barbentane, which midway through a climb in the final was. With a time of 30:26 about 25.5 miles he pushed the New Zealander Tom Scully of the hot seat and he set the new reference time down. None of the gc riders got there yet, and so won Yates to everyone’s surprise, for the first time in his entire cycling career as a time trial. Only the German, Nils Politt, second, had less than ten seconds to admit it.
Geletruidrager Kwiatkowski gold as one of the favourites for the time trial, but had to go with a third place in the daguitslag to the riders ‘ hotel. The Pool was with a strong second half of the race or the renunciation of his closest competitor Luis Leon Sanchez. The Spaniard falls in the classification of two to three and has now 28 seconds down on Kwiatkowski. His Colombian team-mate Egan Bernal did with a sixth-place an excellent case for the classification in which he is now second on 0:19. All other competitors will follow suit in the booth is already more than a minute from the leadership position.
From the Belgian side, reed Dylan Teuns (Bahrain-Merida) was the best time trial with an eighteenth place at 0:57 behind Yates. He is also the best Belgian in the standings on the fifteenth place in 1:56, chased by belgians Philippe Gilbert and Oliver Naesen.
Tomorrow, we will be the last chance for the sprinters in this 77th Paris-Nice, all are the escapees certainly lurking. In the second half of the 177 km between Peynier and Brignoles three tough climbs to be overcome.
