🇫🇷 #ParisNice 💬 "We thought Matteo would be good, so this only confirms what we hoped for. We had to endure the race and I think the guys rode a good race." – Frans Maassen Read more in our report! ✍️
“A fine performance by Wilco and Matteo” - Visma | Lease a Bike riders move up in the general classification after Paris-Nice stage 4
CyclingThursday, 07 March 2024 at 02:30
After a solid result in the team time trial for Visma | Lease a Bike on stage 3 of Paris-Nice, Matteo Jorgenson and Wilco Kelderman were in a good position in the general classification ahead of the hilltop finish to Mont Brouilly on stage 4.
The team were active early on in the stage, as Jorgenson attempted to pull a small group clear after the intermediate sprint with just over 30km to go, but the move failed to materialise, as Remco Evenepoel and Primož Roglič refused to help the American rider.
With Santiago Buitrago and Luke Plapp up the road, after they went clear on the Col du Fût d'Avenas, it was clear that the group behind containing both Jorgenson and Kelderman were not going to contest the stage victory, but there was still time to be gained on the uphill finish.
In the finale, Jorgenson was alert when Evenepoel attacked, as he jumped onto the Belgian’s wheel, but was unable to stay with him as Mattias Skjelmose came around him and a small gap opened up. In the end, Jorgenson finished eighth on the stage with no real time lost to those around him in the general classification.
Further back, Kelderman finished eleventh in a group with Brandon McNulty, who was in the overall lead at the start of the day. He finished 46 seconds down on the stage winner Buitrago and lost seven seconds to the group containing Jorgenson.
In the general classification, Plapp moved into the overall lead, with Jorgenson 52 seconds behind him in eighth and Kelderman a further 13 seconds further back in thirteenth ahead of the likes of both Roglič and Skjelmose.
In an interview with the team after the stage, sports director Frans Maassen said “a fine performance by Wilco and Matteo. They were well in front on the final climb and held on strongly. We thought Matteo would be good, so this only confirms what we hoped for. We had to endure the race and I think the guys rode a good race”.
Looking ahead to the rest of the race, Maassen went on to say that “our goal is to go for a good general classification. Tomorrow there is another chance to sprint with Olav Kooij and after that we will see what is still possible in the general classification”.
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