Maximilian Schachmann (Bora-Hansgrohe) may have come out on top on stage 1 of Paris-Nice on Sunday, but the four-way sprint between the German and his closest rivals only told part of the story.
The opening stage of this year’s race saw the main field battered by crosswinds, crashes and rain with both Warren Barguil (Arkea-Samsic) and Romain Bardet (AG2R La Mondiale) coming down in the last two hours of racing.
Several GC riders lost considerable time when the bunch split to pieces, and even the aggressive style of Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-QuickStep) played a significant part in the action.
In the end it was Schachmann who came out on top as he edged out his rivals for the win and the first yellow jersey of this year’s race, but this was just the beginning of what many expect to be one of the most dramatic stage races of the season.
