ProTeam Vito Braet sprints to impressive second place in Paris-Nice opener

The first stage of Paris–Nice immediately delivered an exciting race, with the day’s breakaway shaping the course of the stage. Sébastien Grignard represented Intermarché–Lotto in the move of the day, spending the entire stage at the front of the race. Grignard and his fellow escapees built up a solid advantage and were able to hold out until deep into the finale, creating a hectic run-in as the peloton prepared for a sprint on the slightly uphill finishing kilometer.

“The final was quite hectic because the breakaway managed to stay ahead until quite far in the final and because of the last 10 km that went uphill,” Braet reflected on the stage. “Thanks to Luca (Van Boven) I managed to survive the climb. I knew that after the descent the last left corner would be crucial.”

After the breakaway was caught, Braet was perfectly positioned for the sprint. Launching from far back, he produced an impressive acceleration, rapidly closing the gap on the riders ahead. Despite his late attack, he narrowly missed out on catching Luke Lamperti (EF Education EasyPost) and crossed the line in a strong second place.

“I managed to ride my sprint the way I wanted but I only came a bit too late to catch up with Lamperti,” Braet said. “Of course I am a little disappointed. I really felt that winning was possible today. But my personal feeling is really good and the team did an incredible job.”

With Grignard’s relentless effort in the breakaway and Braet’s near victory in the sprint, the Intermarché-Lotto team starts Paris–Nice on a high note, with confidence and energy for the stages ahead.

Photo: PhotoNews