But Arnaud de Lie (🇧🇪 Lotto) who won the peloton’s sprint last year, will have his heart set on winning this race which resisted him twice already, and rekindle a half-heated season so far.

Arnaud de Lie (🇧🇪 Lotto) did a an Arnaud de Lie… I am not sure what was the original problem, but I think he started by making the same mistake as he did last year – was it on Paris–Tour? : riding for a long time with a punctured tyre behind the peloton, wearing himself out. Then when he finally got back in the cars and probably reached the peloton, there was a bike change, sending him back again, 1 minute behind. Overall, he chased for 10, 20 km, while the peloton was attacking or accelerating. And then there was a second bike change, and the TV cameras gave up on him, for he had already done too many useless efforts.

I am surprised to see that he did finish the race (10 minutes behind) and didn’t call it a day.

Perhaps Turgis from Total, but he just withdrew from Paris–Nice before the end… Or perhaps Zingle from Visma, whose level became dubious since he joined this and started having problems, but would like to restart on a better trajectory.

Turgis (🇫🇷 Total) and Zingle (🇫🇷 Visma) made 2^nd^ and 4^th^ of the peloton sprint.

But the major success belongs to Segaert (🇧🇪 Bahrein), who wasn’t tired after his solo show in Nokere yesterday! He broke away together with Hagenes (🇳🇴 Visma) long before the finish. They resisted counter-attacks, the main one lead by riders from Alpecin (Del grosso🇳🇱 and a teammate), UAE, Q36.5; and never had more than 30 seconds over the chasers (counter attacks or peloton). 12 km from the line, Hagenes🇳🇴 attacked at the start of the last cobbled sector and created a small gap. This gap of 10 to 20 metres only was maintained for 10 km*! It was incredible, the Visma rider couldn’t drop the Bahrein rider, and the latter couldn’t reduce this small gap and catch up with the former. They did a 10 km long Individual Time Trial, 15 metres away. When there was only 2 km to go, Hagenes🇳🇴 weakened, Segaert🇧🇪 caught him and took him over right away, and went solo for the last 2 km, managing this time to stay 50 m ahead of the peloton sprinters, instead of being caught 50 m from the line like yesterday.

FDJ riders were often present in the first part of the peloton, but basically never acted by pulling nor attacking; there were following. This passive attitude didn’t serve them in the end, Gruel🇫🇷 wasn’t seen (I read he fell at some point, perhaps in 4-rider crash in a curve in the last part) and Huens finished 7^th^. M. Milan🇮🇹 (Jonathan’s little brother) didn’t finish the race; neither did the (so far) disappointing Tronchon🇫🇷 (a very irregular rider who only races well when he is both in shape and motivated by a race, a combination of factors that only happens between 1 and 3 days in a year: the team has better aim his training right…).

UAE was active, but their moves weren’t successful and Morgado🇵🇹 only finished 12^th^.

Visma decided at some point to pull the peloton to catch up the counter-attack behind Hagenes🇳🇴/Segaert🇧🇪. They succeeded in the manoeuvre, but in the end Hagenes🇳🇴 had failed and Zingle came 5^th^. BTW, all teams which ended up with a top-10 (and the nice UCI points that come together) today can thank Visma, otherwise they would still be deciding who should pull, or more likely, would still be attacking each other and stopping like they have been doing for dozens of miles, and the whole counter-attack group would have never been reeled back.

Lotto made up for the disappearance of De Lie🇧🇪, with Menten:belgium winning the peloton sprint (thus 2^nd^place).

First Conti rider is Léandre Lozouet🇫🇷 for CIC, 14^th^. There were about 30 survivors in the peloton.

Unibet has lost its mojo for a couple of weeks. Larsen🇩🇰 was dropped relatively far from the goal; M. Kopecky🇨🇿 finished 17^th^.

Decathlon was invisible, except for Bisseger🇨🇭 experiencing mechanical troubles, coming back into the peloton and being dropped again.

Astana has only 1 finisher. I don’t know what happened to Romele🇮🇹, the commentators announced him in one of the counter-attacks groups at some point. Was it not him? Did he crash later?