The Slovenian cyclist Tadej Pogacar prevailed in the last stage and was proclaimed champion of the Paris-Nice in his first participation against the French David Gaudu who managed to insert himself in the duel for the top between the Slovenian and the Danish Jonas Vingegaard.
With the yellow jersey on his back, he flew over the Col d'Eze, the last ascent of this 81st edition, to claim his third solo stage victory, 33 seconds ahead of Vingegaard and Gaudu.
In the general classification, he finished 53 seconds ahead of Gaudu and 1 min 38 sec ahead of Vingegaard who had dethroned him in the Tour de France last year.
"I had never participated in this race before. It has always been my goal to win Paris-Nice, it was even a dream, so it's incredible," he commented after crossing the finish line while bowing to the public.
“The level was very high. So sharing the podium with Gaudu and Vingegaard is very special, they are two excellent riders. If I don't win anything until the end of the season, it will still be a success, ”he added. .
Irresistible since the start of the season, "Pogi" now has nine successes in thirteen days of racing in 2023, including two general classifications with also a victory in the Tour of Andalusia.
Twelve seconds ahead of Gaudu on the morning of the eighth and final stage, he asserted his dominance by stepping on the pedals on the steepest part of the Col d'Eze, the path of the Vinaigriers, four kilometers from the summit and some twenty terminals of arrival. .
No one managed to follow him and he quickly increased a distance of almost a minute in this last short (118 km) and nervous stage, full of slopes and not a meter of flatness, covered under a summer sun.
Behind us we find the same protagonists that since the beginning of the week with Gaudu and Vingegaard, accompanied in the hunting group by the American Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar) and the British Simon Yates (Jayco-AlUla).
But even with four, they only managed to make up for part of the delay in the long descent to Nice and the arrival at the Promenade des Anglais where Vingegaard sprinted the small group.
"Attack is the best defense. I know these paths by heart, I often train here, I knew the climbs, I knew what I had to do to get to the top by myself," concluded Pogacar, who is based in Monaco.
