Nairo Quintana wins final stage and takes overall victory at Tour de La Provence
The Colombian went on the attack and gained enough seconds to overhaul Julian Alaphilippe
Nairo Quintana sealed the overall victory at the Tour de La Provence with a summit finish win on the final stage three.
The Colombian went on the attack up the climb to the finish line, initially taking Julian Alaphilippe (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) with him but the Frenchman, who was by this time in the virtual lead, couldn't hold on.
Quintana increased his lead all the way to the finish line, finishing half a minute ahead of the rest of the field to take his first victories of the season.
On the stage, Trek-Segafredo's Danish rider Mattias Skjelmose Jensen finished second, 37 seconds behind Quintana, with Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar) crossing the line on the same time as Jensen in third.
Jorgenson's new team-mate Iván Sosa claimed fourth, just ahead of highly rated Belgian youngster Ilan Van Wilder (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) in fifth, the 21-year-old securing himself sixth overall.
Then followed Trek's Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier in sixth before Julian Alaphilippe crossed the line 47 seconds down on Quintana, ceding the victory after the Colombian had devoured the half a minute's advantage the French world champion held going into the final stage.
How it happened
Yesterday's stage winner Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) didn't start the final stage, having done his job securing stage two and not fancying the summit finish of the final day.
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Alexis Gougeard and Luke Rowe soon got themselves ahead of the bunch after the race start, soon joined by Romain Cobaud, Jonathan Couanan and Nicolas Debeaumarché.
Quickly, they built up a lead of over five minutes, Gougeard taking maximum KOM points atop the Col de Buire. Little action followed as the peloton gradually drew the break back into the fold, the gap under three minutes with 30km remaining, Gougeard dropped with 5km to go until the climb to the summit finish.
TotalEnergies were put to work in aid of Pierre Latour's hopes, before Cobaud attacked at the front of the race, only Debeaumarché responding.
Onto the climb and TotalEnergies continued to pull, aided by Groupama-FDJ, the peloton getting whittled down, Cobaud going again up front, his gap only half a minute now.
5km remaining and Cobaud was reeled in, Quick-Step coming to the fore, before an acceleration by Nairo Quintana who had been lurking ominously.
Julian Alaphilippe quickly got onto his wheel but the Colombian then kicked again, dropping the French world champion, who would persist, but would make his way back through the field.
Quintana crossed the line with time to sit up and celebrate, having secured the overall victory on the final day once again after his 2020 win at Provence.
Tour de la Provence 2022, stage three: Manosque to Montagne de Lure (166.1km)
1. Nairo Quintana (Col) Arkéa-Samsic, in 4-23-06
2. Mattias Skjelmose Jensen (Den) Trek-Segafredo, at 37 seconds
3. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Movistar, at same time
4. Iván Sosa (Col) Movistar, at 39s
5. Ilan Van Wilder (Bel) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl, at 41s
6. Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier (Eri) Trek-Segafredo, at 46s
7. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl, at 47s
8. Pierre Latour (Fra) TotalEnergies, at 50s
9. Kenny Elissonde (Fra) Trek-Segafredo, at 1-00
10. Geoffrey Bouchard (Fra) Ag2r Citroën, at 1-03
Final general classification
1. Nairo Quintana (Col) Arkéa-Samsic, in 12-09-11
2. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl, at 27 seconds
3. Mattias Skjelmose Jensen (Den) Trek-Segafredo, at 34s
4. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Movistar, at 36s
5. Pierre Latour (Fra) TotalEnergies, at 42s
6. Ilan Van Wilder (Bel) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl, at 46s
7. Samuele Battistella (Ita) Astana Qazaqstan, at 1-21
8. Aurélien Paret-Peintre (Fra) Ag2r Citroën, at 1-45
9. Maxime Bouet (Fra) Arkéa-Samsic, at 1-56
10. Louis Vervaeke (Bel) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl, at 2-55
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Jonny was Cycling Weekly's Weekend Editor until 2022.
I like writing offbeat features and eating too much bread when working out on the road at bike races.
Before joining Cycling Weekly I worked at The Tab and I've also written for Vice, Time Out, and worked freelance for The Telegraph (I know, but I needed the money at the time so let me live).
I also worked for ITV Cycling between 2011-2018 on their Tour de France and Vuelta a España coverage. Sometimes I'd be helping the producers make the programme and other times I'd be getting the lunches. Just in case you were wondering - Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen had the same ham sandwich every day, it was great.
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