Paris-Nice TTT Disappointment for Visma, Gautherat Shines at Tirreno

Favourites Visma | Lease a Bike finished fourth and lost 15 seconds in what was meant to be a dominant display at the Paris-Nice team time trial. The Dutch squad, who had been victorious last year, and held the yellow jersey for the rest of the race, fell short of expectations on the 23.5km stage 3 course from Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire to Pouilly-sur-Loire.

Visma would’ve been delighted at the line having well beaten UAE Team Emirates-XRG, but Lidl-Trek surged to the line solo to beat Decathlon by nine seconds. The stage went to INEOS Grenadiers by two seconds over Lidl–Trek. Or rather, over Juan Ayuso, as the Spaniard rides the final stretch alone. He sprints to the line, just enough to take the yellow jersey.

Alsatian climber Axel Zingle played his crucial role as the opening rider for Visma’s seven-man formation. Only now does their first, Zingle, drop off after fifteen minutes of hard effort setting the pace for his teammates to maintain cohesion. Despite a solid effort from the French domestique, INEOS Grenadiers was ultimately fifteen seconds faster. Zingle’s individual performance saw him slip down the general classification considerably, now sitting 111e place overall. It was a frustrating showing for the Visma leader Jonas Vingegaard, who acknowledged afterwards: Of course we had hoped for more, but this is what it is. It may not have been our best day as a team, but nevertheless we rode a strong time.

Meanwhile, over in the beautiful Tuscan hills at Tirreno-Adriatico, the story was different for French rider Pierre Gautherat from Decathlon-CMA CGM. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) powered to victory on stage 2 of Tirreno-Adriatico, edging out Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) in a three-way, uphill sprint in San Gimignano. The stage proved to be one of the most dramatic encounters of the week, as a single 5.3 km sector placed close to the finish was enough to produce a thrilling and brutal finale.

The Colmar native Gautherat impressed significantly by staying present at the finish alongside his leader Paul Lapeira. With Paul Lapeira (Decathlon-CMA CGM) all same time placing tenth on the stage, the French squad showed they could perform when conditions intensified. Gautherat’s presence in the decisive break and his ability to maintain contact through the gravel and steep climbing demonstrated composure and tactical awareness. Mathieu van der Poel powered to victory on Stage 2 of Tirreno-Adriatico after igniting the race with a decisive attack on the Tuscan gravel roads before winning a three-man sprint in San Gimignano. The Alpecin – Premier Tech rider launched his move the moment the race hit the sterrato sector in the closing kilometres, immediately splitting the peloton and forcing a frantic chase behind on the loose surface.

The contrast between the two Alsatian representatives perfectly captures the unpredictability of professional cycling in early spring. While Zingle’s domestique duties came at a cost to his overall classification standing at Paris-Nice, Gautherat’s calculated presence in the final kilometers showed that Decathlon-CMA CGM has the tactical nous to remain competitive at the highest level.