One year after crashing twice on the final stage of Paris-Nice and losing the overall lead in a race he appeared set to win, Primoz Roglic put things right when he won the final general classification for the first time in his career.
Roglic was the strongest rider on Saturday but came under pressure during Sunday's final stage when the Briton Simon Yates (BikeExchange-Jayco) attacked on the final climb of the Col d'Eze.
Roglic was, by his own admission, on a slight off-day but joined up with Jumbo-Visma team-mate Wout Van Aert to limit Yates’s gains. The chasing duo finished nine seconds behind the latter in Nice, ensuring Roglic’s overall win.
The tough weather conditions prompted the Bora-hansgrohe team of Sam Bennett and Ryan Mullen to withdraw the duo before the finish.
Sports director Torsten Schmidt explained the decision, saying that "with their next goals in mind we took [them] out of the race as it was a super tough, windy, rainy and cold day. Paris-Nice is done and from now it's important to fully focus on our next goals."
Meanwhile Archie Ryan finished a fine seventh place overall in the Istrian Spring Trophy in Croatia on Sunday, exceeding both his and his team's pre-race expectations. The 20-year-old Irish rider went into the race expecting to ride for his team-mates and continue building form after missing most of last season with a knee injury.
However his fine sixth place on Saturday's uphill finish saw him become best-placed of the Jumbo-Visma Development Team in the overall standings. The race concluded in Umag on Sunday with a big bunch sprint, leading to Ryan finishing seventh in the final general classification. He was 38 seconds behind the overall winner Matthew Riccitello (Hagens Berman Axeon).
Ryan's fellow Irishman Darren Rafferty played a support role for team-mate Riccitello. Despite that, he finished a solid 34th overall, one minute and 26 seconds back. He was also fifth in the King of the Mountains classification.
The Irish junior road-race and time-trial champion is in his first year with the squad and has made a very solid start.
Paris-Nice, France
Stage 8, Nice to Nice: 1 Simon Yates (BikeExchange-Jayco) 115.6 kilometres in 2:52.59, 2 W Van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) @ 9 secs, 3 P Roglic (Jumbo-Visma), 4 B McNulty (UAE Team Emirates) @ 1.44", 5 S Kragh Andersen (Team DSM)
DNF: Sam Bennett (Bora-hansgrohe) Ryan Mullen (Bora-hansgrohe)
Final general classification: 1 Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) 9:19.15, 2 S Yates (BikeExchange-Jayco) @ 29 secs, 3 D Martinez Poveda (Ineos Grenadiers) @ 2.37, 4 A Yates (Ineos Grenadiers) @ 3.29, 5 N Quintana (Arkea-Samsic) @ 3.43.
Istrian Spring Trophy, Croatia (2.2)
Stage 3, Pazin to Umag: 1 Robin Froidevaux (Swiss Racing Academy) 136 kilometres in 2:27.50, 2 B Rudyk (Santic - Wibatech), 3 V Potocki (Ljubljana Gusto Santic), 4 T Lindner (P&S Benotti), 5 S Mora (Manuela Fundación Continental)
Irish: 55 D Rafferty (Hagens Berman Axeon), 79 A Ryan (Jumbo-Visma Development Team) both same time
Final general classification: 1 Matthew Riccitello (Hagens Berman Axeon) 10:13.19, 2 A Baudin (Swiss Racing Academy) @ 15 secs, 3 S Flynn (Swiss Racing Academy) @ 23 secs, 4 F Christen (EF Education-NIPPO Development), 5 Y Voisard (Swiss Racing Academy) @ 31 secs.
Irish: 7 A Ryan (Jumbo-Visma Development Team) @ 38 secs, 34 D Rafferty (Hagens Berman Axeon) : 1.26.
Mountains: 1 Welay Berehe (EF Education-NIPPO Development) 9, 2 M Riccitello (Hagens Berman Axeon) 8, 3 M López (Astana Qazaqstan Development) 7
Irish: 5 D Rafferty (Hagens Berman Axeon) 3
Team: 1 Swiss Racing Academy 30:40.47, 2 Astana Qazaqstan Development @ 1.33, 3 Jumbo-Visma Development Team @ 1.38, 4 Hagens Berman Axeon @ 1.46.
John Haldane Memorial, Newry
A1-A2 race: 1 Matthew Teggart (WiV SunGod Team), 2 O Doogan (Team Caldwell Cycles), 3 N Mullan (Dromara CC), 4 L Watson (Powerhouse Team), 5 M McGinley (Four Masters CC)
Women's race: 1 Erin Creighton (McConvey Cycles), 2 G Glodenyte (Unattached Leinster), 3 C Sands (Newry Wheelers), 4 C Havern (Newry Wheelers), 5 C Ni Ghallchoir (UCD Cycling Club)
A3 race: 1 Matthew Kinkaid (Newry Wheelers CC), 2 J McEneaney (Moynalty CC), 3 G McGowan (Dromara CC), 4 M Gordon (Newry Wheelers CC), 5 P Doherty (Four Masters)
A4 race: 1 Robert Neary (Cuchulainn CC), 2 D Convery (ArmaghDown CC), 3 C Bennett (Harps CC), 4 P Stamp (ArmaghDown CC), 5 A Fegan (Ards CC)
