Primoz Roglic takes over lead at Paris-Nice as Wout van Aert switches off GC fight

Jumbo-Visma have found themselves on a relatively unexpected position today as they saw Primoz Roglic isolated for a while. Wout van Aert dropped out of GC contention, but the team nevertheless didn't seem too bothered by what was an unusually modest performance by Roglic's domestiques.

“It was not easy today. Luckily my legs were good enough to ride with the best," Roglic said after the finish. "Today was a tough day, but the team has done an excellent job. I am very grateful to them. Riding alone for a while was not ideal, but my teammates protected me very well all day. There’s a lot of climbing to come in the next few days."

Despite claiming to have a hard day, Roglic's answer on the road reflected the opposite. Despite being isolated in the final hilltop of the stage where he was attacked by INEOS Grenadiers and had to close gaps on shallow gradients where he could be jumped, Roglic's answer was ready and convincing. He made it to the finish with the GC group comfortably and took over the yellow jersey from the shoulders of his teammate Wout van Aert.

After last year where he put responsibility on his Tirreno-Adriatico efforts for his lack of explosivity in the spring classics, it wasn't a surprise when the race leader was dropped at the base of the Col de la Mure: “When the pace went up, I decided to switch to another chainring and finished the stage calmly. It was a difficult stage to control today. I didn’t waste much energy, but that doesn’t mean it was an easy day," van Aert said.

"I will have to work as a domestique for Primoz during the weekend. In the first four stages, I could ride for my own chances; now I will have to settle for a supporting role. My personal goals for Paris-Nice have been achieved. Everything now has to be about winning the GC with Primoz," he concluded.