Discover the highlights of Paris-Nice 2023's Stage 8 - Nice / Nice.
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
Category
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SportTranscription
00:00 Here we go, a bit of an attack from Wout Poels.
00:03 On to the eighth and final stage of Paris-Nice.
00:14 After out-sprinting David Godou and Jonas Vingegaard yesterday to win his second stage
00:18 of the week, Tadej Pogacar is hoping to shine once again in the yellow jersey.
00:22 This stage has particular significance for the Monaco resident.
00:28 The main goal is to keep the jersey, but if there's any possibility to win today that
00:35 would be really amazing because I train here a lot, especially on these climbs that are
00:41 today and it's almost like a home race.
00:47 Even if he doesn't end up winning, it's been a fantastic week for Godou who has shown that
00:51 he can mix it up with the big boys.
00:54 The 26-year-old kicking on from his fourth place at last year's Tour de France and going
00:58 toe-to-toe with the last two winners of the biggest race in cycling.
01:02 Vingegaard hasn't quite matched the top two this week but showed great resilience yesterday.
01:26 He also knows Paris-Nice ain't over till it's over.
01:31 Everything is possible on a stage like this.
01:34 You saw the last two years that a lot of things can happen.
01:39 Never say never, but he looks super strong today and it's only if I feel good I'll try.
01:47 It's a really complicated stage with a lot of climbing, but I think we have a quite strong
01:55 team to keep control of the race and try to do our thing.
02:02 There have been plenty of final day twists at Paris-Nice down the years and fireworks
02:06 are guaranteed again on Sunday.
02:08 Luckily for the riders the weather will be fair as the race to the sun lives up to its
02:12 name for once.
02:14 With five climbs in just 118.4km, this is a perfect playground to settle the mountains
02:20 classification currently led by Jonas Vingegaard.
02:23 I will fight all the way until we are here again.
02:31 That's for sure.
02:34 I want to have this jersey with me home.
02:38 Hopefully I can go out and take some points in the beginning.
02:43 As expected, Gregaard attacked early to try to hold off his nearest challenger in the
02:46 battle for polka dots, a certain Tadej Pogacar.
02:49 He was joined by 15 other riders, including quite a few in the breakaway yesterday, Hull,
02:54 De La Cruz, Calmerjane, Pollitt, Enkorn and Coussens.
02:57 There were also heavy hitters like Jean Poussin, Wright and Oliver Naesen, while Godoux and
03:02 Vingegaard both had a team-mate up front with Kung and Tratnick, but the break had almost
03:06 been caught with 70km still to ride.
03:09 Gregaard had to fight for every single point, but he just about held on to take a maximum
03:13 haul over the first three climbs and clinch that polka dot jersey.
03:20 The peloton being driven very hard by UAE Team Emirates on behalf of Pogacar, as Gregaard
03:25 sat up, job done for him.
03:28 Meanwhile five riders from the breakaway were trying to hold off the bunch, Jean Poussin,
03:33 Kung, Naesen, Tratnick and Lucas Hamilton.
03:41 Here we go, bit of an attack from Wout Poels.
03:45 Wout Poels setting off on the counter-attack, catching and dropping the five leaders on
03:50 the Cote de Pays.
03:51 The Bahrain victorious man was looking for his first win in over a year.
03:55 The problem though was that Pogacar was absolutely determined to finish this race on a high note.
04:00 The peloton weren't far behind the Dutchman as they swept down towards the intermediate
04:04 sprint.
04:07 Poels takes the six.
04:11 And here we go now, Pogacar opens up the gas on one side of the road.
04:15 Gordieu goes for it as well, but he's unable to do it.
04:19 Pogacar takes the four bonus seconds.
04:23 Poels was reeled in with just over 26km to go as the favourites prepared to tackle the
04:28 Cote des from its steeper side, 6km at 7.6%.
04:33 This group was now down to around 15 riders and the first to up the tempo was Simon Yates
04:38 who won the final stage last year, but Pogacar wasn't around that day.
04:45 And now there's an attack and the attack comes and it comes from the yellow jersey and Pogacar
04:51 decides no one else is going to test me on this climb.
04:58 The race leader simply had too much power for the rest.
05:01 The chasers splitting into two groups, Yates, Gordieu, Vingegaard and Jorkensen and then
05:05 Barde, Haig, Maeder, Sivakov and Paulus.
05:09 The Slovenian cresting the summit with 45 seconds in hand, cruising away to victory.
05:14 It was a Pogacar procession to the promenade.
05:16 At the first time of asking, he wins three stages and he wins his first Paris Nice.
05:40 Take a bow, Tadej Pogacar.
05:45 It's been some Paris Nice debut for Tadej Pogacar.
05:48 The hat-trick of stage wins and the overall putting him on nine victories for 2023 in
05:53 just 13 race days.
05:55 After losing his Tour de France crown last year, the Slovenian looks determined to conquer
05:59 all this year.
06:00 His focus will now shift to the classics before we build up to the big one in July.
06:06 Pogacar sending out an ominous message to all of his rivals with this victory.
06:12 They say attack is the best defense.
06:17 I really know this road, really a lot of training is done here.
06:24 I knew exactly how my legs are in the final climb and how much I can spend to come to
06:32 the top.
06:33 I always feel that I'm good at the first races.
06:36 It was always my goal, my dream to win Paris Nice as well and now that I did it, it's incredible.
06:46 Pogacar winning the final stage by 33 seconds from Vingegaard, Godoux, Yates and Jorgensen.
06:51 Paolo set in the next group at 43 seconds.
06:54 That is a 15th solo career victory for the Slovenian star.
07:00 It's also his 13th stage race victory, the 8th at world tour level.
07:04 And like recent winners Egan Bernal and Max Schachmann, he conquered Paris Nice at the
07:07 first time of asking.
07:09 Godoux second at 53 seconds, Vingegaard third at 1.39.
07:15 With his three stage wins and regular bonus hunting, Pogacar dominated the points classification
07:19 coming in 24 clear of Godoux.
07:22 Olaf Koi was the best placed sprinter in third, followed by two more GC men, Vingegaard and
07:29 Yates.
07:30 Vergara was the only other rider to go home with a distinctive jersey and boy did he earn
07:34 it.
07:35 But then getting into five breakaways in seven days of racing this week, he ended up 13 points
07:40 clear of Pogacar in the mountains classification.
07:46 Pogacar also won the youth classification for the 20th time in his career, taking white
07:50 by a comfortable margin from Jorgensen.
07:53 This is the final year that he will be eligible for the best young rider prize.
07:59 Finally Jacob Alula finished the week as the best team ahead of Bahrain victorious with
08:03 Yates in fourth, Harper 20th and Hamilton 22nd.
08:08 And so Pogacar wins the 81st edition of Paris Nice at the start of what promises to be an
08:13 extraordinary season for him.
08:15 Thank you very much for joining us throughout the week.
08:17 We'll see you again in 2024.
08:20 [Music]
08:31 [Music]
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