Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team rider Sylvain Chavanel may be known for his stage hunting prowess and his time trial ability, but he showed on Saturday he can also win some bunch sprints. Chavanel bested World Champion Philippe Gilbert (BMC Racing Team) and Joaquin Rojas (Movistar), showing he had the legs to withhold a long sprint and win the 220km stage in Nice after a mountain stage with five categorized climbs.
Chavanel and OPQS rider Peter Velits also contested an intermediate sprint, which Velits won, at km 186. As a result of time bonus seconds, and the victory, Chavanel also moves into 3rd in the GC and reduces the time difference to 42 seconds. Furthermore, Chavanel takes back the Green Jersey.
This is the 14th win, in three disciplines, for OPQS. In a "Super Saturday" of sorts, young polish rider Michal Kwiatkowski also kept the Maglia Azzurra with OPQS at Tirreno-Adriatico. He finished 4th on Prati di Tivo with great GC riders such as Chris Froome (Team Sky), Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff), and Vincenzo Nibali (Astana), and leads Froome in the GC by 4 seconds.
"I am super happy," exclaimed Chavanel after his win. "It's the second time I won here in Nice, after my victory in 2008. It's always a great emotion to raise the arms here. Today I decided to do the sprint because I was looking for some points for the Green Jersey. There was a head wind in the final, so I asked Kevin De Weert to stay near me. He did a great job and he left me in the perfect position on the wheel of Gilbert and Dumoulin. With the bonification fixation I took, I'm now 3rd. Tomorrow will be difficult for me, but I will try to do my best to stay in the top 10."
"Today is a special day for the team," Chavanel continued. "Kwiatkowski the new leader at Tirreno is great news. I'm happy for him and the team, and I hope he can keep the jersey as long as he can."
