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Hello again, CyclingTips readers.
Here’s hoping your day is going as well as Iván García Cortina’s. Amid uncertain times, the Bahrain-McLaren rider nabbed his first win of the season on Tuesday at Paris-Nice.
What’s more, he did so in a sprint ahead of none other than Peter Sagan. Not a bad way to pick up your second ever WorldTour victory.
Meanwhile, Sam Bennett’s wallet shed some weight on the day after the Irishman was fined 800 Swiss francs for shouldering Nairo Quintana in the final run-in. Fortunately, Quintana stayed upright; Bennett, however, was caught up in a crash only a few moments later.
All in all, yet another day of storylines at a Paris-Nice that has had plenty of them so far.
Until next time, readers.
What’s news
| García Cortina wins, Bennett fined on Paris-Nice stage 3
Tuesday’s third stage at Paris-Nice came down to a hectic sprint, with former Red Hook Milan winner Iván García Cortina emerging victorious on the day.
A chippy run-in to the line saw Sam Bennett give Nairo Quintana a bit too much shoulder – which would ultimately earn him a fine of 800 Swiss francs – and shortly thereafter Bennett was caught up in a crash and hit the deck hard. His Deceuninck-Quick-Step team has said that he suffered a cut to one of his fingers that required stitches, but did not sustain any fractures.
In the final kick to the line, García Cortina launched at around a hundred meters to go. Peter Sagan was on his wheel, but the three-time world road champ could not manage to pull even with the Spaniard. García Cortina took the win ahead of Sagan and Andrea Pasqualon, with Max Schachmann finishing safely to retain his race lead.
Paris-Nice stage 3 results
1. Iván García Cortina (Spa) Bahrain McLaren 5:49:55
2. Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe
3. Andrea Pasqualon (Ita) Circus-Wanty Gobert
| Race cancellations in France and Portugal, uncertainty for Catalunya
Coronavirus concerns have led to more race cancellations. France’s Tour de Normandie and Portugal’s Volta ao Alentejo are among the events that have been called off.
The status of the upcoming Volta a Catalunya remains unclear for now. Cyclingnews reports that the fate of the late March stage race will be decided soon as organizers await government decisions.
| Lappartient: Cancelling the Giro and the Tour ‘would be a disaster for our sport’
UCI president David Lappartient spoke about the difficulties that the racing world is experiencing in the face of the coronavirus crisis in an interview with Reuters.
While Lappartient said he hopes the situation improves in the coming weeks and months, he did not mince words when discussing the impact that the possible cancellation of two Grand Tours could have on cycling, saying that it “would be a disaster for our sport of course if we can’t have the Giro d’Italia or the Tour de France.”
| Easton Overland unveils 2020 lineup featuring Rockwell, van den Ham, and more
The off-road-oriented Easton Overland squad has unveiled its lineup of riders and sponsors for 2020 at a team launch on Tuesday.
Dirty Kanza winner Amity Rockwell and multi-time Canadian cyclocross champ Michael van den Ham are among the returning notables, with Caitlin Bernstein, Caroline Dezendorf, Matt Lieto, Craig Richey, and guest rider Sascha Weber also set to race for the team this year.
| Wahoo Elemnt Bolt drops price, gains e-bike friendliness
Announced alongside a limited-edition stealthy black-on-black colour scheme, the popular Wahoo Elemnt Bolt GPS computer has dropped $20, now priced at US$230 (changes to international pricing unknown).
Additionally, there’s a firmware update for the whole Elemnt range that introduces compatibility with select Giant and Specialized e-bike models, along with core data from other ANT+ LEV-enabled e-bikes. Through this, Elemnt computers will be able to display a bike’s remaining range, battery life, mode and assist level. Sadly the update doesn’t provide a motor to your existing ride.
| Socially Speaking
World road champ Mads Pedersen showed off his broadcasting chops on Monday at Paris-Nice.
In case you missed it
| 2020 Gravel Bike Field Test: 12 bikes, four riders, and endless dirt
Our crew tried out 12 different bikes for the 2020 Gravel Bike Field Test. You can get acquainted with the endeavor here, and of course stay tuned in the coming weeks as we reveal the findings from eight days of testing.
| The curious case of Bruno Armirail, quarantine escape-artist
As Iain Treloar writes, Groupama-FDJ rider Bruno Armirail had quite an interesting experience at the UAE Tour.
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Today’s featured image of Iván García Cortina winning stage 3 of Paris-Nice comes from Cor Vos.
