Matteo Jorgenson secured the top spot at the Paris-Nice race by outpacing his fellow American cyclist Brandon McNulty in the hilly and wet terrain near Nice on Sunday.

The bike rider from Visma-Lease started the eighth and last stage, trailing McNulty by four seconds. However, he joined forces with Remco Evenepoel from Soudal-Quick Step and made an attack on the Côte de Peille with 40km remaining.

Evenepoel from Belgium claimed the victory on the stage, outpacing Jorgenson along the seafront of Nice. However, he finished 30 seconds behind in second place in the overall rankings. McNulty of UAE Team Emirates managed to secure third place overall.

Jorgenson expressed surprise at the accomplishment, saying that it was something she never believed could happen until now. She was pleased with how the day and the entire week had gone, stating that she was extremely nervous the night before and could hardly sleep. She also mentioned feeling pressure for the first time, but was grateful for the opportunity to win and ride alongside a talented cyclist like Remco. This was a moment that held special significance for her.

At just 24 years old, Jorgenson is the third American cyclist to claim victory in Paris-Nice and the first to do so since Floyd Landis in 2006.

Meanwhile, Jonas Vingegaard claimed the overall victory at the Tirreno-Adriatico race. He finished the seven-stage event with a lead of 1 minute and 24 seconds over Spain’s Juan Ayuso, capping off a successful week for Team Visma-Lease a Bike.

Vingegaard finished the flat stage in San Benedetto del Tronto safely in the peloton to clinch the Maglia Azzurra on Sunday, having established a commanding lead over his closest challenger Ayuso by winning the mountainous queen stage on Monte Petrano on Saturday.

Vingegaard described the week as flawless for the team, and the two-time Danish Tour de France winner stated that he is currently in better physical condition than he was at the same time last year. Australian cyclist Jai Hindley finished in third place at Tirreno-Adriatico, trailing Vingegaard by 1 minute and 52 seconds.

Source: theguardian.com