"It's just incredible to win two days in a row" - Cristian Scaroni almost single-handedly leading Astana's fight against World Tour relegation
Cycling
Cristian Scaroni is in top form at the moment. The 27-year-old Italian has fired to a stunning summit finish stage win on the opening day of the 2025 Tour des Alpes Maritimes, just one day after taking the victory at the Classic Var.
“I can't believe it! It's just incredible to win two days in a row," Scaroni reflects afterwards, in a post-stage press release posted to the XDS Astana Team's official website. "I aimed to start this season strong, preparing myself to be in top form for the first months. Everything was going well, but I was missing a victory. Breaking that ice yesterday and finally winning was a huge relief."
Despite being outnumbered by Bahrain - Victorious duo Lenny Martinez and Santiago Buitrago in the finale, Scaroni was able to defy the odds and secure the victory, plus some much needed UCI points in Astana's fight against World Tour relegation. "Today's stage was very tough. My rivals set a high pace, knowing that long climbs aren't my strongest suit, but I managed to stay ahead, respond with a fast sprint, and take another victory," he concludes. "Now, I need to focus on tomorrow's stage. We need a solid race plan because there’s no time to relax. We must stay focused and be ready to fight in the second stage. For now, I just want to thank the entire team for their incredible work throughout the day.”
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Stage 1 - 2025 Tour des Alpes Maritimes
| 1 | Scaroni Cristian | XDS Astana Team | 04:19:45 |
| 2 | Buitrago Santiago | Bahrain Victorious | + 00 |
| 3 | Martinez Lenny | Bahrain Victorious | + 04 |
| 4 | Fortunato Lorenzo | XDS Astana Team | + 47 |
| 5 | Widar Jarno | Lotto | + 47 |
| 6 | Martin-Guyonnet Guillaume | Groupama-FDJ | + 47 |
| 7 | Paret-Peintre Aurélien | Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team | + 52 |
| 8 | Blackmore Joe | Israel-Premier Tech | + 54 |
| 9 | Costiou Ewen | ARKEA-B&B HOTELS | + 54 |
| 10 | Carapaz Richard | EF Education-EasyPost | + 59 |
| 11 | Barré Louis | Intermarché-Wanty | + 01:06 |
| 12 | Joalland Yaël | CIC U Nantes | + 01:13 |
| 13 | Cepeda Alexander | EF Education-EasyPost | + 01:15 |
| 14 | Champoussin Clément | XDS Astana Team | + 01:22 |
| 15 | Sheehan Riley | Israel-Premier Tech | + 01:23 |
| 16 | Godon Dorian | Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team | + 01:23 |
| 17 | Haig Jack | Bahrain Victorious | + 01:23 |
| 18 | Conci Nicola | XDS Astana Team | + 01:23 |
| 19 | Maire Adrien | Unibet Tietema Rockets | + 01:46 |
| 20 | Verschuren Killian | Unibet Tietema Rockets | + 02:29 |
| 21 | Gualdi Simone | Intermarché-Wanty | + 02:29 |
| 22 | Tjøtta Martin | ARKEA-B&B HOTELS | + 02:29 |
| 23 | Jegat Jordan | Team TotalEnergies | + 02:41 |
| 24 | Geniets Kevin | Groupama-FDJ | + 03:27 |
| 25 | Zambanini Edoardo | Bahrain Victorious | + 03:27 |
| 26 | Bonneu Kamiel | Intermarché-Wanty | + 03:27 |
| 27 | Delettre Alexandre | Team TotalEnergies | + 03:27 |
| 28 | Basset Pierre-Henry | XDS Astana Team | + 03:27 |
| 29 | Vandenabeele Henri | Lotto | + 03:30 |
| 30 | Mifsud Andrea | Nice Métropole Côte d'Azur | + 03:33 |
| 31 | Perez Anthony | Cofidis | + 04:10 |
| 32 | Maisonobe Sam | Cofidis | + 04:10 |
| 33 | Breuillard Nicolas | St Michel-Preference Home-Auber 93 | + 04:10 |
| 34 | Molly Kenny | Van Rysel-Roubaix | + 05:05 |
| 35 | De Pestel Sander | Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team | + 05:45 |
| 36 | van Bekkum Darren | XDS Astana Team | + 05:55 |
| 37 | Zamperini Edoardo | ARKEA-B&B HOTELS | + 07:39 |
| 38 | Pacher Quentin | Groupama-FDJ | + 07:39 |
| 39 | Molard Rudy | Groupama-FDJ | + 07:39 |
| 40 | Sweeny Harry | EF Education-EasyPost | + 07:39 |
| 41 | Vendrame Andrea | Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team | + 07:39 |
| 42 | Lafay Victor | Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team | + 07:39 |
| 43 | Beloki Markel | EF Education-EasyPost | + 08:18 |
| 44 | Eiking Odd Christian | Unibet Tietema Rockets | + 08:46 |
| 45 | Jarnet Maxime | Van Rysel-Roubaix | + 08:49 |
| 46 | Guernalec Thibault | ARKEA-B&B HOTELS | + 09:22 |
| 47 | Louvel Matis | Israel-Premier Tech | + 09:22 |
| 48 | Driesen Niels | Lotto | + 11:17 |
| 49 | Van Asbroeck Tom | Israel-Premier Tech | + 11:17 |
| 50 | Geleijn Owen | Unibet Tietema Rockets | + 13:16 |
| 51 | Paleni Enzo | Groupama-FDJ | + 13:17 |
| 52 | Huyet Baptiste | Unibet Tietema Rockets | + 13:17 |
| 53 | Vercher Mattéo | Team TotalEnergies | + 13:17 |
| 54 | Guglielmi Simon | ARKEA-B&B HOTELS | + 13:43 |
| 55 | Veistroffer Baptiste | Lotto | + 13:54 |
| 56 | Narbonne-Zuccarelli Axel | Nice Métropole Côte d'Azur | + 14:09 |
| 57 | Izquierdo Clement | Cofidis | + 14:22 |
| 58 | Langella Lenaic | CIC U Nantes | + 14:22 |
| 59 | Vernon Ethan | Israel-Premier Tech | + 14:22 |
| 60 | Ermakov Roman | Bahrain Victorious | + 14:22 |
| 61 | Mahoudo Nolann | Cofidis | + 14:22 |
| 62 | Delacroix Théo | St Michel-Preference Home-Auber 93 | + 14:22 |
| 63 | Simon Yohann | St Michel-Preference Home-Auber 93 | + 14:22 |
| 64 | Augé Ronan | CIC U Nantes | + 14:22 |
| 65 | Hänninen Jaakko | Nice Métropole Côte d'Azur | + 14:22 |
| 66 | Guillon Célestin | Van Rysel-Roubaix | + 14:22 |
| 67 | Hofstetter Hugo | Israel-Premier Tech | + 14:22 |
| 68 | Huens Axel | Unibet Tietema Rockets | + 14:22 |
| 69 | Rouland Louis | ARKEA-B&B HOTELS | + 14:22 |
| 70 | Meris Sergio | Unibet Tietema Rockets | + 14:22 |
| 71 | Neilands Krists | Israel-Premier Tech | + 14:22 |
| 72 | Gautherat Pierre | Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team | + 14:22 |
| 73 | Chaussinand Joris | CIC U Nantes | + 14:29 |
| 74 | Baudin Alex | EF Education-EasyPost | + 16:00 |
| 75 | Lapeira Paul | Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team | + 16:00 |
| 76 | Van Niekerk Morne | St Michel-Preference Home-Auber 93 | + 16:00 |
| 77 | Corkery Dillon | St Michel-Preference Home-Auber 93 | + 16:00 |
| 78 | Doull Owain | EF Education-EasyPost | + 18:47 |
| 79 | Rafferty Darren | EF Education-EasyPost | + 18:47 |
| 80 | Ourselin Paul | Cofidis | + 24:34 |
| 81 | Le Huitouze Eddy | Groupama-FDJ | + 24:35 |
| 82 | Marukhin Daniil | XDS Astana Team | + 24:37 |
| 83 | Juillard Maximilien | Van Rysel-Roubaix | + 24:38 |
| 84 | Capron Rémi | Van Rysel-Roubaix | + 24:38 |
| 85 | Faure-Prost Alexy | Intermarché-Wanty | + 24:38 |
| 86 | Pickering Finlay | Bahrain Victorious | + 24:38 |
| 86 | Stockwell Oliver | Bahrain Victorious | + 24:38 |
| 87 | Bénéteau Lucas | St Michel-Preference Home-Auber 93 | + 24:38 |
| 89 | Julien Matisse | CIC U Nantes | + 24:38 |
| 90 | Årnes Daniel | Van Rysel-Roubaix | + 24:38 |
| 91 | Poelvoorde Tars | Lotto | + 24:38 |
| 92 | Meintjes Louis | Intermarché-Wanty | + 24:38 |
| 93 | Page Hugo | Intermarché-Wanty | + 24:38 |
| 94 | Hamon Similien | CIC U Nantes | + 24:38 |
✌🏼🏆🇰🇿 Scaroni sigue 𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄 en Francia: se lleva la 1ª etapa del #TourdesAlpesMaritimes
— Eurosport.es (@Eurosport_ES) February 22, 2025
Ya ganador ayer en #ClassicVar, el italiano de @XDSAstanaTeam batió a otro top del inicio de 2025: Buitrago. 3º fue Lenny Martínez
📺 @StreamMaxES | #LaCasaDelCiclismo pic.twitter.com/E9MuoCdlVd
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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