Paris-Nice’s stage two ended in a bunch sprint after 214 kilometres to Commentry today. Michael Matthews (Orica) won the stage after the jury regulated Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis). Team LottoNL-Jumbo’s Wilco Kelderman lost four seconds to some rivals due to a gap in the group.

“Maybe, it looked like a stage in which everyone just rode to the finish easily, but even in races like this, it’s hectic, nervous and dangerous all the time,” Sports Director Frans Maassen said. “Everyone wants to be in front of the peloton. For many riders, it’s all about not losing time and we don’t have a sprinter who’s able to win this race, so we have to prepare ourselves mentally to take part in the fight for positions. That’s harder than it seems, but Wilco Kelderman did a good job today.” 

Kelderman finished 26th, losing five seconds on some of his competitors. “That’s a pity, but no disaster,” Maassen continued. “When you finish 26th, you must have fought for a good position several times. The split happened just in front of him. It’s annoying, but not insurmountable.”

Challenging
Team LottoNL-Jumbo’s leader will have a chance to take back those seconds tomorrow. “Everyone has to go all in,” Maassen added. “We face a transition stage similar to one you’d see in the Tour de France. Those days are always tough.

“We’ll finish on top of a second category climb with a narrow road, so it will be a fight to the foot of the mountain. Several teams in the peloton probably want to make some differences already in the middle part of the stage. In combination with the expected rain, it’s going to be a challenging day.”