The news that former Team Sky and British Cycling chief doctor Richard Freeman was found guilty of ordering testosterone, a banned substance, is big and got splashed all over the British press last weekend. There’s mystery as to who the hormone patches were intended for, and there’s now a circular firing squad of quotes from those in and around Team Sky. Away from the noise is the very real issue of a live anti-doping case as possession is a breach of the WADA Code and a case should be opened.
In 1972 Eddy Merckx was so confident of winning Paris-Nice that before the start of the final stage he posed for photos with a speedboat, a prize that year. Only Raymond Poulidor rocketed up the Col d’Eze to win the stage, take the race overall and collect the prize. Primož Roglič can show a cannibal-like trait at times but must also know a thing or two about not counting chickens until they hatch, or as they say in Slovenian, “not praising the day until the evening”. But on the morning of the final stage it did look like Roglič had Paris-Nice sewn up and he even had a good chance of winning the final stage too…
The final stage of Paris-Nice and usually a great day’s racing. A forced course change means less of a wild route today but it’s the last chance for a stage win.
This was supposed to be the big mountain stage but it’s been shortened. It’s still the big mountain stage thanks to the long climb to the Col Saint-Martin and it’s another chance for Primož Roglič to win in another way.
A stage for the sprinters, the last chance for them before three days in the hills and mountains.
A mouthwatering stage if only for oenophiles, today’s route is also promising on the sporting side with two hard climbs in the finish that are climbed twice.
A sprint finish awaits but more of the same, an uphill finish like yesterday to make things harder for the sprinters.
A circuit race west of Paris to get the race underway and an uphill finish to make things tough for the dragstrip sprinters.
