| With a second-place finish for Sam Bennett at Tirreno-Adriatico and a third-place finish for Felix Gall at Paris-Nice, the DECATHLON AG2R LA MONDIALE team brings the first week of World Tour racing in Europe to a close in fine style. |
Sam Bennett
"Victory was very close."
"I'm very happy with the result. We wanted to win today, so the whole team pulled out all the stops and we did what we had to do to win. It was a tough 240-kilometre stage in the rain and cold. The other teams set a steady pace and many riders attacked on the final climb. I stayed calm, though, because I'd spotted the finish and knew it was right for me. Nicolas (Prodhomme) placed me very well in the final. With 300 metres to go, I launched my sprint for victory. It's great and there are still some great opportunities to come over the next few days. It was our first success and, I hope, not our last.
Felix Gall
"I'm happy to end on a positive note".
"It was a short stage, so we expected it to go very fast. The aim was to be in the breakaway. The pace was indeed very strong from the start, and the whole team was very involved, everyone was very strong today. Paris-Nice is always a special race, and I gave it my all to finish on a high note. We were there for the overall classification, and even if it didn't go as planned, I'm satisfied with this last weekend. It gave me confidence for the Tour of Catalonia."
A word from the Sports Director
Sébastien Joly, Strategy Director for DECATHLON AG2R LA MONDIALE and Sports Director for Paris-Nice
"We ended the week with two good results in Tirreno-Adriatico and Paris-Nice. In Italy, Andrea Vendrame's victory and Sam Bennett's second place show that the team was able to respond. In Paris-Nice, even if the week brought a few disappointments, we ended on a very good note with Felix Gall's third place today. Aurélien Paret-Peintre finished twelfth overall, which is still a fine performance. In every race, the team never gave up, despite the difficult conditions, and the riders remained united, which is important. We've got some great goals coming up very soon, with Milan-San Remo and the Tour of Catalonia, and I'm sure we'll be winning more races very soon.
