Châlette-sur-Loing (France) (AFP)

The plain of Beauce looked like a trap for the Colombian Nairo Quintana, the favorite of Paris-Nice, and the French Julian Alaphilippe, main victims of the second stage, Monday in Châlette-sur-Loing (Loiret).

A fall for Quintana, a puncture for Alaphilippe: both, delayed at the start of the last 30 kilometers, lost almost a minute and a half at the end of this 166.5 kilometer stage won by the Italian Giacomo Nizzolo.

Unfortunately for Quintana, the most concerned by the classification since Alaphilippe said he favored a stage success, the British champion Sergio Higuita and the Italian Vincenzo Nibali, two of his direct rivals, finished in the group of strong head of a dozen runners. Also with the German Maximilian Schachmann, in the comforted position at the top of the general classification.

The Bora team from Schachmann even played a decisive role in the finale. Peter Sagan, who had shaken the group before, dynamited the first peloton 10 kilometers from the finish. Without the training of the Slovak and three-time world champion being rewarded at the finish, since his German sprinter Pascal Ackermann launched the sprint from far and was dominated by Nizzolo (NTT).

Sagan's coup, which did not surprise Nibali, who was also excellently surrounded (Pedersen, Stuyven), left behind Thibaut Pinot, who had previously been faultless in the wheel of his Swiss guardian angel Stefan Küng. Like Romain Bardet, Pinot dropped to finish a handful of seconds on Nibali and Higuita.

- Number one favorite Higuita -

In this 78th edition, in keeping with the Paris-Nice tradition, the first two days of plains, crossed by showers, caused damage. To achieve that the number one favorite is now Higuita, the last Colombian nugget that has not yet completed its first year at the highest level (he joined the Education First team last May).

Despite his young age (22) and especially a light climber, the champion of Colombia displayed great ease in the highlights of the race, the breaks caused by the accelerations. "He did a good job and he will be one of the strongest on the climbs ..." said Schachmann of Higuita, winner of the mountainous Tour de Colombia last month.

As for the losers of the day, Alaphilippe regretted his lot: "You could say that I did not have a chance. I think I had a good race, to have remained focused on this day which was quite difficult because of the weather. I was at the front when the tire was punctured. Time to change my bike and I found myself in the third or fourth edge. "

On Tuesday, the third stage links Châlette-sur-Loing to La Châtre on a plain route of 212.5 kilometers. With, to satisfy the new instructions linked to the coronavirus, a form of in camera at the start and finish of the stage to keep the public away.

ASO, organizers of the "race to the sun", explained having taken this decision "in order to comply with the ban on gatherings of more than 1,000 people".

© 2020 AFP