Final KM: Paris-Nice Stage 5, Tirreno-Adriatico Stage 2

A wily breakaway victory and the return of a sprint king. The Race to the Sun and the Race between the Seas served up two very different finales.

Paris-Nice Stage 5: Salon de Provence to Sisteron, 163.5km

It looked like a stage for the breakaway and so it turned out, but only just. Jerome Cousin made it stage win number two for Direct Energie. With the sprint teams bearing down, the Frenchman rode glued to the wheel of break-of-the-day companion Nils Politt (Katusha-Alpecin) right up until he popped off in the last 200m to grab victory. Andre Grepiel (Lotto Soudal) took the bunch sprint for third. The GC remains unchanged with Luis Leon Sanchez (Astana) still in yellow by 15secs.

Video…

First WorldTour stage win and the polka dots, it was a very successful breakaway day for Monsieur Cousin

#ParisNice – VICTOIRE !

🎉🎉🎉 @CousinJerom remporte la 5ème étape de @ParisNice à Sisteron ! 🎉🎉🎉

Le couz est attendu sur le podium pour sa victoire d’étape avec son joli maillot à pois ! 😃

🔴⚪️🔴⚪️🔴 pic.twitter.com/vUVIYQEyUM

— Team Direct Energie (@TeamDEN_fr) March 8, 2018

It’s fair to say opinions on Cousin’s behaviour on the run to the line were split between cries of wheelsucking and applause for his guile and craftiness…

Cousin gets wheel-suckiest win ever.

— nyvelocity (@nyvelocity) March 8, 2018

Jerome Cousin making plenty of friends today. Takes the win but very unprofessional in the execution. Two stage wins for Direct Energie but todays ride in the final was amateur at best.#parisnice

— Pat Shaw (@pat_shaw_) March 8, 2018

Jerome’s post race interviews revealed a little more…

Here's what Cousin said after winning (there was another more 'colorful' quote out there in French): "Ten days ago, I didn't even know that I was going to race. I was the last man in the team. I have the KoM jersey, that was the goal of the day. The win is the icing on cake."

— Andrew Hood (@EuroHoody) March 8, 2018

Jérôme Cousin is my new favourite bike rider.

"Now when I saw that the victory was possible I worked hard to go after the Katusha rider and I played with his balls little. That's the way I won." pic.twitter.com/t9T02IiGWo

— Philip Gomes (@Philip_Gomes) March 8, 2018

Here’s the story from Nils…

A little too cosy chez the #PinkArgyle squad

I really like my roommate. but it's a little too close // j'aime vraiment mon camarade de chambre . Mais la c'est un peu trop proche 😳👬 pic.twitter.com/1xQHdUv2WG

— Rolland Pierre (@PierroooRolland) March 8, 2018

Full race report at Cycling News

Race Website Race Twitter #ParisNice

Tirreno-Adriatico Stage 2: Camaiore to Follonica, 167km

Ladies and gentlemen I have huge news – Marcel Kittel has taken his first victory for 2018, his first for Katusha-Alpecin and his first ever in Italy. It was a chaotic finale made more so by a huge crash at 7km to go which split the field. Kittel wasn’t quite hitched smoothly to the strong Katusha train but Rick Zabel did an outstanding job to get him in position and once he turned on the afterburners no one was going to catch him. Peter Sagan (BORA-hansgrohe) and Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek-Segafredo) rounded out the podium. BMC’s Patrick Bevin finished fifth on the day and the maglia azzurra passes to his shoulders.

Video…

Bonus happy Marcel video from Katusha-Alpecin Facebook

Same race, different @BMCProTeam rider in the leader’s jersey! Take a look at our gallery from #TirrenoAdriatico stage 2, which saw @PaddyBevin move into the overall lead at a #UCIWT race for the first time in his career 👉 https://t.co/xcHRjQzDkV #Ride_BMC 📷: @PhotoSirotti pic.twitter.com/3fhS7mCPVL

— BMC Racing Team (@BMCProTeam) March 8, 2018

The King of the Mountain’s jersey was up for grabs today. Much to the delight of his team Nippo Vini-Fantini Europa-Ovina Nicolo Bagioli made the break of the day and took maximum points at the only climb (team report here)

Embed from Getty Images

That Boy Phinney…

View this post on Instagram

Goofy ass photo of me and my Mom taken today, our day of the Lord, Thursday. I look like a sunburnt lumberjack in pink. Shout out to all the momz. Love you so much

A post shared by Taylor Phinney (@taylorphinney) on Mar 8, 2018 at 1:01pm PST