Carlos Betancur gives Colombia first victory in Paris-Nice
Pile-up 300 metres from the finish in the last stage sees several riders lose their chance for glory
Carlos Betancur became the first Colombian cyclist to win the Paris-Nice race on Sunday following the eighth and final stage.
French champion Arthur Vichot won the stage, raced along the celebrated Promenade des Anglais, which saw several riders, including Portugal’s road race world champion Rui Costa, lose their chance of victory in the stage in a pile-up 300 metres from the finish.
Costa was able to remount and cycle gingerly to the finishing line of the “Race to the Sun” to finish second overall.
I have received great support from my teammates while I have held the overall lead
Betancur, 24, was winning his first stage race at WorldTour level, although he finished an impressive fifth last year’s Tour of Italy.
“I have received great support from my teammates while I have held the overall lead,” said Betancur, who won two stages during the week.
Betancur, who rides for the French AG2R team, kept a keen eye on Costa throughout the final stage as the Portuguese rider was only 14sec behind him in the overall standings.
The only anxious moment he had vis a vis his main rival was when Costa tried to steal a march on him on the Col d’Eze, the final climb of the stage, but he and his team -- the first French team to have the winner of the race since Swiss rider Tony Rominger won in 1991 -- reeled him in without any great difficulty.
