BMC Racing Team’s Adam Blythe sprinted to his first victory of the season Wednesday in the opening stage of Paris-Corrèze.
Good Leadout From Lodewyck
Blythe said the technical nature of the finish at the end of the 168.1 kilometer race, which included a chicane leading into the final 100 meters, made it essential to get a good leadout. “With two laps to go, I spoke to Klaas Lodewyck and we said whoever was going to do the sprint needed to be first into the corner,” Blythe said. “On the last lap, we spoke again and I was feeling good, so he went to help me. He dropped me off with about 175 meters to go and it was just perfect.” Lodewyck has experienced his own success of late, finishing third in Stage 4 of the Tour de Wallonie last week.
First Win Since 2010
Blythe’s victory was his first since October 12, 2010 when he won Nationale Sluitingsprijs, and his fourth podium result of the season, adding to a runner-up finish on the opening stage of the Tour of Qatar and a pair of third-place finishes (at the Handzame Classic and Stage 3 of the Tour of Belgium). He will wear the leader’s jersey at a stage race for the first time since the 2010 edition of Circuit Franco-Belge which he went on to win in October of 2010.
Final Stage Thursday
The difficulty of Thursday’s final stage means Blythe will be working to help another rider on the BMC Racing Team go for overall victory, Assistant Director Max Sciandri said. “We really want to get the general classification win tomorrow and we have a number of guys who could be up to it, depending on how hard the climbing is,” Sciandri said. The 170.2 km race includes four ascents of the Col des Géants, followed by the climb of the Col du Suc au May, which summits 13 km from the finish.
