PARIS-NICE 2018 STAGE 1: Demare claims Paris-Nice stage and lead again

Meudon, Sunday, March 4th 2018– Already winner and first leader of Paris-Nice a year ago, French champion Arnaud Demare repeated the feat in Meudon but in a rather different finale. The Groupama-FDJ team leader, who held the Race to the sun’s Yellow Jersey for several days in 2017, was not among the real favorites before the start in Chatou, 135 km up the road, as the finale was steep and cobbled, but he finally upstaged Spain’s Gorka Izagirre (Bahrain-Merida) and compatriot Christophe Laporte (Cofidis) in nail-biting final sprint. Belgium’s Tim Wellens was a close fourth.