Orléans (dpa) – Defending champion Maximilian Schachmann had to accept the next setback on the Paris-Nice long-distance bike ride.
The German champion from Team Bora-hansgrohe lost 1:29 minutes on the second stage from Auffargis to Orléans to other top drivers and day winner Fabio Jakobsen from the Netherlands. Already on the first stage, Schachmann, who won the traditional race in 2020 and 2021, lost 42 seconds to the top favorite Primoz Roglic from Slovenia. In the overall standings, Frenchman Christophe Laporte leads ahead of his teammates Wout van Aert from Belgium and Roglic.
The 159-kilometer stage was characterized by wind edges. About 70 kilometers from the finish, the field broke up into several parts after Roglic’ Team Jumbo-Visma increased the pace, with Schachmann falling behind and being more than two minutes behind at times. Although the group around the Berliner was initially able to halve the gap, they were unable to compensate in the fast-paced finale.
Thus, Schachmann goes into the next stages alone on Roglic with a mortgage of more than two minutes that can hardly be recovered. On Tuesday it’s over 191 kilometers from Vierzon to Dun-le-Palestel, with the finale in particular being very demanding. The race ends on Sunday with a stage around Nice.