The Colombian wins the last stage alone, while the German of the Bora team has to press to tie the crown
Maximilian Schachmann celebrates his final victory.
Nairo Quintana (Arkea Samsic) won the seventh stage alone, 166.5 km between Nice and the top of the Colmiane, and the German Maximilian Schachmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) successfully defended the leader's yellow jersey in Paris-Nice , certifying his second victory in a stage race. Quintana attacked three kilometers from the top and took the stage with 46 seconds of advantage over Belgian Tiesj Benoot and 56 over French Thibaut Pinot, Colombian Sergio Higuita and Italian Vincenzo Nibali. Schachmann arrived two seconds later, fifth.
Schachmann, who had only won the 2016 Tour of Alsace, claimed the final victory with an 18-second advantage over Nenoot and 59 seconds over Higuita. It happens in the history of Paris-Nice to the Colombian Egan Bernal, absent this year, and returns the title to Germany nine years after the victory of Tony Martin.
The seventh stage, in penultimate theory, became the final day after the annulment, due to the coronavirus epidemic, of the eighth and last, around Nice, although in any case, with four scoring ports and a high end, it was called to decide the race. Among the criticisms of those claiming its cancellation due to the epidemic, the test had an early and strange end, with no guest cars or public on the last ramps or on arrival.
The French Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-QuickStep), who started 2:04 minutes behind the leader, revolutionized the peloton as soon as the first climbs appeared and formed a breakaway together with Aurelien Paret-Peintre (AG2R La Mondiale), Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Soudal), Alberto Bettiol (EF Pro Cycling) and Nicolas Edet (both Cofidis).
At 70 km from the finish line, the escape had a three-minute margin over the pursuing group of leader Maximilian Schachmann. For many kilometers Alaphilipe He was the virtual leader of the race, but the Bora team worked hard in the peloton to reduce the difference and their leader of the ranks was again leader 25 km from the end.
Nairo's collaboration
At the foot of the last port -16 km of ascent-, the fugitives had an income of 1:20 over the leader's group. The Bora had found the collaboration of the Arkea de Nairo Quintana to bridge differences.
On the first ramp the Belgian Thomas De Gendt, an escape expert, attacked, he stayed first with Alaphilipe and soon after and only in the lead, with a 1:07 advantage 14 km from the top. Vincenzo Nibali, who was sixth overall, 1:18 from the leader, put his team, the Trek Segafredo, to work, and particularly Richie Porte in the last ten kilometers, and 4 km jumped Nairo Quintana with a big plate.
The Arkea boss quickly chased De Gendt and left without opposition in search of stage victory. He was far behind in the general standings (twelfth, at 2:38) and Schachmann, despite the final attack of the second classified, the Belgian Tiesj Benoot, defended the yellow until the end.
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