"I was unlucky the last two weeks" - Hugo Page relegated from his first podium of this season

Hugo Page was on the verge of his first big result of 2025 with a nice third place in the sprint of the second stage of Paris-Nice... That was until the jury looked at Frenchman's behaviour in final meters with a magnifying glass and found his actions to be against the rules of a clean sprint. The verdict was clear: Page was relegated to 136th place.

"The last 50 kilometers were very nervous. Yesterday I didn't follow my train while the guys did a great job," the Frenchman returns to yestreday's 17th place in Le Perray-en-Yvelines in a post-race interview for Cycling Pro Net.

Today's sprint went much better for Page who found himself in a VIP wheel of European champion Tim Merlier. "I was in Merlier's wheel and I made the choice to stay and that ultimately didn't pay off."

However the Intermarché - Wanty rider reckons that he should've launched from Merlier's wheel earlier. "I got locked in but after all it's only my second sprint of the year so I'm already happy to finish third. I honestly think I could have done better because I still brake in the last few meters but it's already a satisfying sprint result."

The podium result would've been a first big result for Page this year, a testament to his hard work before the start of a new season: "I'm very happy because I had worked hard all winter and I was unlucky the last two weeks with the illness so I'm happy to be back."

So far, he had the impression that his sprinter instincts were a bit numb after a racing break: "I don't think it's a lack of confidence maybe a lack of automatism rather because I have the confidence I worked hard all winter so I know I had a good burst of speed and here it is going to come I'm missing automatisms guys we did great today and I'm going to work for the future."