Paris-Nice Stage 3: Kwiatkowski Now 2nd GC After Top 20 Stage Finish
Etixx - Quick-Step did everything they could to protect the leadership of Michal Kwiatkowski in Paris-Nice, chasing the original breakaway all day in the 179km 3rd Stage on Wednesday. But due to a stage victory of Michael Matthews (Orica-GreenEDGE) in the bunch sprint, Matthews was able to take over the race lead by a single second.
The race came back together in the final few kilometers, and Kwiatkowski remained near the front with 1.5km to go. He finished 16th in the stage.
Davide Cimolai (Lampre-Merida) finished 2nd, and Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek Factory Racing) was 3rd.
The first mountain stage of Paris-Nice is tomorrow. The 204km stage could be a decisive one, with eight categorized climbs and six of those climbs clustered into the final kilometers. The stage finishes on Category 1 Croix de Chaubouret (10km, 6.7%).
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