Discover the highlights of Paris-Nice 2023's Stage 4 - Saint-Amand-Montrond / La Loge des Gardes.
General ranking after today's stage:
1 - POGAČAR Tadej (UAE TEAM EMIRATES)
2 - GAUDU David (GROUPAMA - FDJ)
3 - VINGEGAARD Jonas (JUMBO-VISMA)
More Information on:
http://www.paris-nice.fr/
https://www.facebook.com/parisnicecourse
https://twitter.com/parisnice
https://www.instagram.com/parisnicecourse/
© Amaury Sport Organisation - www.aso.fr
General ranking after today's stage:
1 - POGAČAR Tadej (UAE TEAM EMIRATES)
2 - GAUDU David (GROUPAMA - FDJ)
3 - VINGEGAARD Jonas (JUMBO-VISMA)
More Information on:
http://www.paris-nice.fr/
https://www.facebook.com/parisnicecourse
https://twitter.com/parisnice
https://www.instagram.com/parisnicecourse/
© Amaury Sport Organisation - www.aso.fr
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SportTranscription
00:00 Here goes Jonas Vengegaard.
00:02 4.3 kilometres to go and he's decided it's time now to rip the race apart.
00:10 After two sprints and a fascinating team time trial,
00:22 it's time for Paris-Nice to hit the heights
00:24 with a first summit finish on Stage 4
00:27 and a first proper test for the overall favourites.
00:30 Rain and wind is forecast on the road to La Loge des Garde
00:35 where Jonas Vengegaard and Talle Pagaccia are set to face off.
00:39 Other GC riders will also be looking to boost their hopes of a podium finish.
00:44 We will already see the first signs of who's able to win at least.
00:50 I mean, yeah, we won't...
00:54 Today won't decide, I think more the weekend will decide.
00:58 But for sure you can see how everyone is standing and where everyone is.
01:05 It's going to be a tough day.
01:08 A day that's going to be fast, nervous and tense.
01:12 There's a risk of rain, wind and curbs.
01:15 It's going to be a difficult day to manage
01:18 but we'll have to be ready.
01:21 It looks like a fairly regular climb.
01:24 There's a percentage, even if it looks like it's going to be fast.
01:28 We'll have to be strong on the feet.
01:31 It's not like the whole team is coming together at the foot of the last climb.
01:35 Just under 165km to cover from Saint-Amant-Mont-Rhin to La Loge des Garde
01:40 with two minor climbs providing an appetiser for the main event,
01:43 that final hike of 6.7km at 7.1%.
01:47 There was also a bonus sprint 15km from the finish line
01:50 where the overall favourites could battle for precious seconds
01:53 if the escapees have already been caught.
01:56 Plenty of teams were keen to get up the road today
02:00 so it took a little while for the breakaway to form.
02:02 Seven men finally got away, including Jonas Gregaard in the polka dot jersey.
02:07 The Dane hadn't been too optimistic about his chances before the start.
02:11 It's a big experience to try to have a jersey in a big race like this.
02:18 I think it will be a really stressful day with a lot of crosswinds
02:22 so I think it will be impossible to go and get a gap in the breakaway.
02:27 Gregaard making the impossible possible then
02:32 and going clear with his team-mates under Scorsese.
02:35 Tour de France stage winner Hugo Hul and Dutch champion Pascal Enkom were also in there
02:39 along with Maurice Ballerstedt and an ambitious Lillian Calmagin.
02:43 We're not necessarily the strongest, but that's what makes us successful
02:48 we try things, we're not afraid of the "big" riders
02:54 and with our abilities we can do nice little things.
02:58 I'm going to be on the lookout and I'm going to try to be in the lead from the start
03:02 because I think that by taking a step forward
03:05 it's the only way to play something today.
03:07 The peloton heading through Vichy with just over 50km to go
03:12 and all together in spite of a few splits before the live broadcast.
03:16 The gap at 3.5 minutes but the GC teams began to up the tempo before the climbs.
03:22 Gregaard was the only man at the front really interested in the King of the Mountains
03:26 pointing to the top of the Cote de Verne,
03:28 three more for the Dane ahead of his Uno-X team-mate Scorsese.
03:32 Seven became six after that climb as Ballerstedt was dropped.
03:41 Enkom then tried to push on alone in the descent
03:44 but Gregaard and Scorsese had no intention of letting him take the KOM points
03:48 on the second climb, the Cote de Cheval Regant
03:51 and they quickly reeled him back in again.
03:53 Top of the climb and it's Gregaard and Scorsese who lead over the top.
04:00 Gregaard secures the three points, he's on 14 points now
04:04 he will be the King of the Mountains tonight.
04:06 Back in the bunch Pogacar was clearly determined to pick up more seconds
04:13 at the bonus sprint. He put his team to work to catch the breakaway.
04:17 A breakaway that was already splitting up as Calmojan and Scorsese attacked.
04:22 They were hoovered up one by one but the leading duo still had a small gap before the sprint.
04:28 Michael Matthews pouncing from the peloton followed by his training partner Pogacar.
04:33 Six seconds for Matthews, four for Scorsese and two for Pogacar.
04:37 Matthews and Pogacar then kicking on in the descent
04:40 but they were reeled back in before La Loge des Gardes.
04:43 After a few half-hearted attacks, Felix Groschartner took control for UAE
04:50 but Wingergaard was the first man to unleash with 4.3k to go
04:55 and Pogacar was the only one who could follow.
04:58 It looked like they might power away together but Pogacar stayed in the wheel
05:03 and the pace soon dropped allowing the others to catch up.
05:08 David Gaudu then saw an opening and he shot away.
05:12 The Frenchman quickly opening up a 20-second gap on the rest.
05:17 But Pogacar soon decided it was time to put the hammer down
05:22 setting off in pursuit of Gaudu.
05:24 Wingergaard trying desperately to close the gap but he came up short.
05:29 It would be Pogacar vs Gaudu for stage honours
05:32 as the reigning Tour de France champion was caught and eventually passed by Gino Maida
05:37 who would come out on top though at the summit.
05:39 Massive acceleration by Taddei Pogacar.
05:45 Gaudu grimaces, Pogacar wants the bonus but Gaudu goes on the inside.
05:50 It's now a flat out sprint for the line between the two climbers
05:54 but the questions were asked this morning.
05:57 Pogacar answers them.
05:59 It's going to be stage win for the double Tour de France winner.
06:03 Taddei Pogacar wins at the top of the first mountain of Paris-Nice.
06:08 Cometh the hour, cometh the man.
06:14 Pogacar with a brilliant performance to put 43 seconds into Wingergaard
06:18 and take control of Paris-Nice.
06:20 The 24-year-old is already up to six victories this year
06:23 having won Rhine-Paraiso and then three stages and the overall of Route de l'Aisle.
06:28 It is going to take something very special to knock him off top spot
06:32 in the remaining four stages.
06:34 It was not in my mind to take yellow today but you don't say no to yellow.
06:40 I had good legs, I knew that we couldn't give Gaudu too much
06:45 so I decided to go all in to catch him otherwise we wouldn't win.
06:53 Pogacar with a dominant display but all credit to Gaudu
06:57 who stayed with him all the way to the line.
06:59 Maida was the best of the rest on a good day for the French
07:02 with Aurelien Paré-Paintre, Kevin Vaucoula and Romain Bardet all in the top seven.
07:07 Pogacar leads Gaudu by 10 seconds overall
07:11 and he has 44 on the man who beat him at last year's Tour de France.
07:14 Yates is the only other rider within a minute of the Slovenian superstar.
07:18 Pogacar starting a real jersey collection today as he also took green.
07:23 With all those bonus sprints he leads the points classification by five from Mads Pedersen.
07:28 One of them did slip through his grasp but only just.
07:33 Gregar remains the king of the mountains by two points from Pogacar
07:36 who took 10 on the final summit.
07:39 And Pogacar is obviously the best young rider as well recovering the white jersey.
07:47 He's a minute and 42 seconds clear of Movistar's Matteo Jorgensen.
07:53 Stage 5 is the longest of this year's race at just over 212km.
07:57 The sprinters will try to hold on over three early climbs
08:00 and then survive another 130km from the finish line.
08:03 But depending on the weather it could also be a day for the breakaway.
08:06 Do join us again on Thursday and thanks for watching.
08:10 Do join us again on Thursday and thanks for watching.
08:14 you
08:17 you
08:20 you
08:22 [BLANK_AUDIO]