Is Visma trying to change a trend of positioning battles? "We stayed at the back to save energy ahead of the TTT," DS explains
Cycling
Just like stage 1, the second day of Paris-Nice was quite calm for most GC contenders, including Visma | Lease a Bike's star Jonas Vingegaard. What was different about Monday's stage for the Dutch team was their approach to protecting Vingegaard. Rather than competing with sprint trains to stay towards front of the race until the final 3-kilometer protected zone, the group around Vingegaard sat back in peloton, saving their matches for tomorrow's key team time trial.
"It was a good day. We got through the stage well and were able to save energy for tomorrow," sports director Marc Reef said via team website.
The stage did not go without minor incidents, but none of the Visma riders got caught up, which meant it was a successful day for the bees. "There were a number of crashes, but we were never involved. We had made the decision to stay at the back to save energy, and in hindsight that proved to be the right choice."
With a team including time trial experts Edoardo Affini, Bruno Armirail and Victor Campenaerts, Visma will not aim to "just defend" their positions in the stage 3 team time trial, but rather aim to build a winning position for their Danish leader. "Now we are focusing on tomorrow's team time trial. That will be an important day," he concluded.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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