“I didn’t even know if I would finish this stage” - Max Kanter surprises himself to seal biggest win of his career on stage 2 of Paris-Nice 2026

Max Kanter could scarcely believe what he had achieved after sprinting to victory on Stage 2 of Paris-Nice 2026, admitting afterwards that he had not even been certain he would make it through the day after struggling physically in the days leading up to the race.

The XDS Astana Team sprinter emerged fastest in Montargis to take the win ahead of Laurence Pithie, completing a remarkable turnaround after arriving at the start of the stage with doubts about his condition.

Speaking after the finish, Kanter revealed just how uncertain he had felt before the race began.

“I didn’t even know if I would finish this stage because the last couple of days I felt really not good on the bike. And now I won today,” Kanter said in conversation with Cycling Pro Net.

Kanter’s victory came after a precisely timed lead-out from his Astana teammates, who positioned him perfectly in the final kilometres before delivering him to the front in the decisive moments. “The lead-out was unbelievable into the last roundabout. He did the perfect lead-out, and I just had to finish it off in the last 200 metres.”

The sprint unfolded after a tense finale in which a late solo attack from Daan Hoole had briefly threatened to deny the fast men their opportunity. The Dutch rider held a small advantage deep into the final kilometres before the peloton finally swept past inside the final kilometre.

Once the bunch regrouped, the sprint teams quickly organised themselves for the run to the line, setting up the finish that ultimately delivered Kanter the biggest victory of his career.

Despite his uncertainty before the stage, Kanter insisted he had never completely lost faith in his sprinting ability. “The last couple of weeks were not the best, but I know that I have a really good sprint.”

With the race heading toward a straightforward bunch finish, the German sprinter explained that everything finally came together in the decisive moments. “Today everything worked perfectly in the last 200 metres, and I could show my sprint to the world.”

The significance of the victory was not lost on Kanter after the finish line celebrations, with the German emphasising the prestige attached to winning at Paris-Nice. “Paris-Nice is a really well-known race on the calendar, one of the biggest races in the world. It’s great to win a stage here.”

For Kanter and XDS Astana Team, the result provides a major boost early in the season, and a victory that even the stage winner himself had not expected just hours earlier.