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Saturday, March 14, 2026

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Paris-Nice stage six reports

We posted the race organizer's report with the results.

Here's the report from stage winner Harold Tejada's Team XDS-Astana:

Harold Tejada claimed a brilliant solo victory on Stage 6 of Paris–Nice. The XDS Astana Team rider attacked shortly before the summit of the final climb, gaining a small advantage over the chasing group already on the descent. In the end, keeping a six-second gap, Tejada crossed the finish line alone to take his first-ever victory at the WorldTour level.

Harold Tejada solos across the finish line.

“I had been waiting for this success for a long time, and finally I managed to win in Europe at the WorldTour level. This is the most important victory of my career. Together with the team we came here aiming to fight for the podium in the General Classification, but the rainy and windy stage turned out to be unpredictable and difficult for us. Still, we now have two stage wins and I still have a chance to fight for a Top-10 place overall.

"Yesterday Alexandr Vinokurov told me that if I felt good, I should try to attack near the top of the final climb. I studied the climb and the descent, so I was ready to go. However, with 25 km to go I had a mechanical and had to stop and change the bike. But the whole team was there: my teammates did an incredible job to bring me back to the group. In the end we caught the peloton before the climb, and I immediately started moving up through the group and reached a good position for the decisive moment.

"On the descent and then through the town I gave everything I had, and I still couldn’t fully believe that I had won. Incredible feelings. The last few seasons have been going well for me – I felt the progress. The Vuelta a España, the World Championships last year and the UAE Tour at the start of this season gave me extra motivation and confidence, and today everything came together. I often race in the most prestigious WorldTour events, where the level of competition is extremely high and winning is not easy. But together with the team we kept working, and today’s success is the result of that work. There are still two days and two tough stages ahead, so today we will celebrate a little and then focus on the final part of the race”, – said Harold Tejada.

With two stages remaining, Harold Tejada sits 10th in the General Classification of Paris–Nice.

Here's the Paris-Nice report from second-place Dorian Godon's Team INEOS Grenadiers:

Dorian Godon claimed second on the sixth stage of Paris-Nice after a strong team effort throughout the day.

Godon was led out by Kevin Vauquelin to win the sprint after a last gasp effort from Harold Tejada (XDS Astana Team) saw him take a solo victory.

Josh Tarling kicked off proceedings, attacking from the bunch to establish a break with three others inside the first 52km.

Inside the final 8km, Tarling and Igor Arrieta (UAE Emirates - XRG) worked together as the remnants of the break, but were eventually caught with 5km to the finish. After his efforts, Tarling was awarded the combativity award.

The peloton in the town of Lourmarin, about 115 km into the stage. Photo: ASO/Billy Ceusters

Lenny Martinez (Bahrain-Victorious) attacked straight away, with Jonas Vingegaard (Visma Lease A Bike) and Kevin Vauquelin staying on the wheel to drag the bunch over, before Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal Quick-Step) counterattacked. A select group got away, which included Dorian Godon and Vauquelin, before a last effort from  Tejada saw him escape.

Tejada managed to cling on to take the win, while just behind Vauquelin did an excellent job of leading out Godon, to see the French champion take second place.

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Here's the Paris-Nice stage six report from third-place Lewis Askey's NSN Cycling Team:

Lewis Askey outlined his form ahead of the forthcoming Spring Classics by recording his first podium for NSN in Friday’s sixth Paris-Nice stage.

The British rider took third in Apt, placing second in a reduced bunch sprint after solo rider Harold Tejada (XDS) took the victory.

Askey placed seventh on stage 2 following a more conventional sprint finish in Montargis, whereas this podium was achieved after a day of hard racing across undulating terrain in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur.

The peloton early in Paris-Nice stage six.

“Unfortunately, there was one guy off the front, but I think I can be happy with that,” says the 24-year-old. “It was a super hard stage, and we didn’t know where it was going to be for Bini [Girmay] or Riley [Sheehan]. In the end, I think the technical nature of the finish and the breakaway still having a lead bigger than we’d hoped meant that it was ridden pretty hard.”

After Sheehan was caught behind a split in the peloton and Biniam lost contact when the GC riders attacked on the Côte de Saignon inside the final 10 kilometers, Askey was given leadership status on the road.

He adds: “They said on the radio, ‘it’s your chance if you can stay in the bunch’. Luckily, there was this little flat before the final kicker. I took a few breaths and told myself that my finish line was the top of this climb. That gave me the opportunity.

“I just didn’t want to get boxed in in the sprint. Normally, I know if it’s a hard effort like that, and then a tiny bit of recovery, I’m pretty strong. But I’ve had it before where I’ve boxed myself in. So maybe, coming into the finish, I was a bit too much in the wind, but I allowed myself to sprint, and got the result.”

With Askey and his teammates at Paris-Nice comprising the team’s core Classics group, he hopes today’s result is a good indicator of a productive period.

“It’s always difficult to say, but I managed to go around today, so I can’t be getting too badly,” he says. “I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing: trust the coach, trust the process of it all, and hopefully the legs are in good shape for the Classics.

“I think this has been a good week. We’re six days in and it has been a good block. There’s not really much else we need to do now. I think it will be about resting up, being fresh mentally, staying healthy, and hopefully what will be will be.”

And here’s the Paris-Nice stage six report from Steff Cras’ Team Soudal Quick-Step:

Steff Cras carried the flag for Soudal Quick-Step on the up-and-down stage 6, after he managed to make it into the main breakaway, following a nervous first hour of racing, during which multiple riders attacked in the hope of going up the road. The Belgian was there together with three other men and taped out a solid rhythm, despite the quartet being kept on a tight leash by the peloton.

His adventure at the front of the race continued for about three hours, and even though he got caught just 20 kilometers from home, Steff focused on the positive side of things: “It was a nice day to go in the leading group, where I gave it my all. Unfortunately, I made a mistake on the first corner of the penultimate descent, where my wheel slipped a bit. I lost a bit of confidence there and the others turned on the pressure and I couldn’t close the gap anymore. It’s not how I wanted my time in the breakaway to end, but despite this, I take a lot of heart from this display.”

After the breakaway got caught, a small group emerged on the slopes of Côte de Saignon, the last hurdle of the day. Then, over the top of the last climb, Harold Tejada (XDS Astana) attacked and took a gap that turned out to be decisive, as the Colombian soloed the victory in Apt, just a few seconds ahead of a small chasing group that included Valentin Paret-Peintre. The Frenchman, runner-up on the previous stage, made it back-to-back top ten results at his home race, after coming home in eighth place, and even managed to gain one position in the general classification with just two days to go.


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Tirreno-Adriatico stage five reports

We post the race organizer's stage five report with the results.

Here's the report from stage winner Michael Valgren's Team EF Education-EasyPost:

Michael Valgren stormed to a sensational victory on stage 5 of Tirreno-Adriatico.

The Dane took off out of the breakaway with just over a lap of the finishing circuit left to ride in the hilly 187-kilometer stage from Marotta-Mondolfo to Mombaroccio. Only Julian Alaphilippe could follow him. When the two hit the base of the final climb, Michael attacked again and immediately opened up a gap. As the GC favorites launched their attacks from the peloton behind, Michael hung tough, grinding up horrendous slopes to the summit at the Santuario Beato Sante, which he cleared with a slight advantage. Michael was on a mission. After a winter at home in Denmark with his family and new son, no one was going to stop him. He hurtled down the descent to take his first victory since 2021.

Michael Valgren wins Tirreno-Adriatico stage five. Sirotti photo

“It’s unbelievable,” Michael said after celebrating with his teammates at the finish line. “We all worked so hard for this. I had a really good winter at home with all my family and they supported me and the team supported me. We just had a baby one month ago so it’s for them, it’s for the team. For me, I’m speechless.”

This is Michael’s first win since his comeback from a career threatening injury in 2022. It’s taken years of hard work and determination. Now, the former Amstel Gold Race and Omloop Nieuwsblad winner has well and truly proved that he is back to his best.

“I felt I had good legs all day so I wanted to make an early attack,” Michael said. “Julian came with me. We worked well together and in the end. It was such a hard day, pushing all day. I just had amazing legs and the luck.”


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Here's the report from GC leader Isaac del Toro's UAE Team Emirates-XRG:

Isaac Del Toro delivered another attacking performance today at Tirreno-Adriatico, finishing second on Stage 5 and reclaiming the overall race lead with two stages remaining. The result sees the UAE Team Emirates-XRG telent return to the blue leader’s jersey after an aggressive day of racing across the demanding hills of the Marche region.

 

Isaac del Toro is back in the blue GC leader's jersey. Sirotti photo

The 184km stage from Marotta-Mondolfo to Mombaroccio proved one of the toughest days of the race so far, featuring almost 4,000 metres of climbing and a relentless sequence of steep hills that split the peloton repeatedly. An early breakaway of several riders went clear, with Denmark’s Michael Valgren (EF Education Easypost) ultimately attacking from the escape to take the stage victory.

Behind the breakaway, the general classification battle unfolded on the final climb. Del Toro launched a strong acceleration on the steep slopes, distancing race leader Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull Bora hansgrohe) and the other contenders before powering to the finish line in second place. The move allowed the Mexican rider to gain crucial seconds and retake the overall lead of the race, opening a small gap ahead of his rivals in the standings.

The result continues a superb run of form for the 22-year-old, who has lit up the race heading into the closing weekend.

Isaac Del Toro: “It’s nice to be back in the leaders jersey. I tried to put pressure on the last climb and was able to put some distance between myself and the rivals. It was a really hard stage with climbs all day and the pace was very high. The team worked incredibly well to keep the race under control and put me in position for the final climb. I tried to attack at the right moment and I’m happy it allowed me to take the jersey again. There are still two difficult stages to go, so we will stay focused and keep fighting.”

And here's the Tirreno-Adriatico report from Clément Braz Afonso's Team Groupama-FDJ United:

In the Marche region, the 2026 edition of Tirreno-Adriatico took a new turn this Friday with the traditional “muri” stage. The battle for the general classification intensified once again, and Clément Braz Afonso managed to position himself just behind the race favorites. After a hilly and demanding final, the 26-year-old crossed the line in fifteenth place and now sits sixteenth overall.

Although the first part of the week had already brought its share of challenges at Tirreno-Adriatico, a completely different test awaited the riders this Friday in the “Race of the Two Seas.” No fewer than 4,000 metres of elevation gain were on the menu for the stage between Marotta-Mondolfo and Mombaroccio. While there were no major climbs to overcome, the route was extremely hilly. A real showdown between the leaders was expected, though the profile also offered a potential opportunity for a breakaway to succeed. That is why the Groupama-FDJ United cycling team went on the offensive during the first thirty minutes of racing.

Groupama-FDJ United rider Valentin Madouas gets his bike before the stage start. Sirotti photo

“Brieuc and Kevin had slightly heavy legs at the start, but Lorenzo, Valentin, and Rémy tried to get into the breakaway,” explained Yvon Caër. “They had to try many times, and unfortunately, we just missed the right move with Valentin and Lorenzo. They counterattacked behind eight riders, but the peloton didn’t let them go, especially since Van der Poel was with them. We missed that goal, and then we refocused on being present in the final”.

The final consisted of two very demanding 21-kilometer loops, the breakaway still held a solid advantage approaching it, while the peloton exploded on a 500-meter wall at more than 10%, thirty-five kilometres from the finish. Clément Braz Afonso managed to follow the right group and was soon joined by Brieuc Rolland, as well as Valentin Madouas and Kevin Geniets after a slight delay. “I’m quite happy with the team because when there were only about thirty-five riders left in the peloton, we still had four there,” confirmed Yvon. “That’s pretty good and it shows we were physically in the mix.”

Unfortunately, at the end of the first loop, Kevin Geniets was taken out of contention due to a puncture, and the group of favorites increased the pace to close the gap to the two remaining breakaway riders. At the bottom of the final climb, Julian Alaphilippe and Michael Valgren still had a one-minute lead, and the battle quickly erupted among the favorites. Brieuc Rolland, Valentin Madouas, and Clément Braz Afonso then tried to hold on as best they could behind the main GC contenders.One kilometre from the summit, Clément Braz Afonso even briefly rejoined the top riders in a group of about fifteen men before everything split apart again.

At the finish line, 56 seconds behind stage winner Valgren and 45 seconds behind the new race leader Isaac del Toro, the French climber eventually secured fifteenth place. “It’s a really interesting final from him,” commented Yvon. “He’s just behind the ten strongest riders. It proves his consistency and confirms that he’s becoming a real asset on this type of course. I’m also quite pleased with Valentin. He was really active at the start of the race trying to get into the breakaway and put in a lot of effort, but he was still there in the final, even if he lost a little bit of ground on the last climb. It shows his condition is becoming very interesting, which is encouraging.”

The Breton rider finished 25th on the day, while Clément Braz Afonso now sits 16th overall. “We want to take the risk to try to achieve something better,” added Yvon. “Tomorrow, Clément will be one of the riders who tries to get into the breakaway in order to fight for the win and, mechanically, improve his overall ranking.”

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