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De Kleijn springs surprise as sun shines on Paris-Nice
Dutch sprinter Arvid de Kleijn dominated a mass sprint to win stage two of cycling's Paris-Nice on Monday after the peloton took it easy on a sunny, flat run south from Thoiry to Montargis.
Once the 29-year-old Tudor Pro rider got ahead on the broad road towards the finish line east of Orleans in central France, neither New Zealand's Laurence Pithie in second place nor Dylan Groenewegen in third could get up alongside him.
🏆 Arvid de Kleijn remporte l’étape 2 de #ParisNice
— Paris-Nice (@ParisNice) March 4, 2024
🏆 Arvid de Kleijn wins stage 2 of #ParisNice pic.twitter.com/yYGPfHlahp
"That's just great, it's my first World Tour (top-level) victory," he said.
But 21-year-old Groupama-FDJ's Pithie took the yellow jersey as the new leader of the race ahead of Sunday's winner Olav Kooij and runner-up Mads Pedersen, with the three all on the same time.
"I never expected to get the yellow jersey here, it's really cool," said Pithie.
Stage two over 179km had been designed in the hope of crosswinds on the open agricultural plains south of Paris but in bright sunshine riders took the time to take in the scenery after the peloton awoke on Monday with a whiff of spring in the air.
The third stage is a team time trial over 26.9km on Tuesday with former winner Primoz Roglic and Remco Evenepoel likely to shine as riders are timed individually.
The idea is that teams will deliver Evenepoel and Roglic before splintering as they send their leading contenders up the road near the finish in Auxerre.
STAGE WINNERS
1. Arvid de Kleijn (NED) Tudor Pro Cycling Team 4:41:02
2. Laurence Pithie (NZL) Groupama - FDJ "
3. Dylan Groenewegen (NED) Team Jayco - AlUla "
4. Danny van Poppel (NED) BORA - hansgrohe "
5. Gerben Thijssen (BEL) Intermarché - Wanty "
6. Sam Bennett (IRL) Decathlon - AG2R - La Mondiale "
7. Dries Van Gestel (BEL) TotalEnergies "
8. Mads Pedersen (DEN) Lidl - Trek "
9. Pascal Ackermann (GER) Israel - Premier Tech "
10. Matteo Sobrero (ITA) BORA - hansgrohe "
11. Tobias Andresen (DEN) dsm-firmenich - PostNL "
12. Hugo Hofstetter (FRA) Israel - Premier Tech "
13. Arnaud Démare (FRA) Arkéa - B&B Hotels "
14. Kaden Groves (AUS) Alpecin - Deceuninck "
15. Stefan Bissegger (SUI) EF Education - EasyPost "
16. Jon Barrenetxea (ESP) Movistar Team "
17. Olav Kooij (NED) Team Visma - Lease a Bike "
18. Maikel Zijlaard (NED) Tudor Pro Cycling Team "
19. Nils Politt (GER) UAE Team Emirates "
20. Anthony Turgis (FRA) TotalEnergies "
OVERALL LEADERS
1. Laurence Pithie (NZL) Groupama - FDJ 8:17:20
2. Mads Pedersen (DEN) Lidl - Trek "
3. Olav Kooij (NED) Team Visma - Lease a Bike "
4. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Team Visma - Lease a Bike +4
5. Remco Evenepoel (BEL) Soudal - Quick-Step +6
6. Egan Bernal (COL) INEOS Grenadiers +8
7. Mattias Skjelmose (DEN) Lidl - Trek "
8. Kaden Groves (AUS) Alpecin - Deceuninck +10
9. Sam Bennett (IRL) Decathlon - AG2R - La Mondiale "
10. Jon Barrenetxea (ESP) Movistar Team "
11. Nils Eekhoff (NED) dsm-firmenich - PostNL "
12. Yves Lampaert (BEL) Soudal - Quick-Step "
13. Madis Mihkels (EST) Intermarché - Wanty "
14. Owain Doull (GBR) EF Education - EasyPost "
15. Cédric Beullens (BEL) Lotto - Dstny "
16. Bryan Coquard (FRA) Cofidis "
17. Sandy Dujardin (FRA) TotalEnergies "
18. Matteo Sobrero (ITA) BORA - hansgrohe "
19. Carlos Rodríguez (ESP) INEOS Grenadiers "
20. Michael Matthews (AUS) Team Jayco - AlUla "
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