COLOMBIER-LE-VIEUX, France (AP) — Danish cyclist Jonas Vingegaard showed he is in strong climbing form after a dominant breakaway victory on the hilly fifth stage of Paris-Nice on Thursday.
Vingegaard’s rivals could not get near the race leader on the last four climbs and he waved and blew a kiss to the roadside camera crew entering the final section.
The two-time Tour de France champion finished the 206-kilometer (128-mile) trek to Colombier-le-Vieux in southern France 2 minutes, 2 seconds ahead of French rider Valentin Paret-Peintre and 2:20 clear of Colombian Harold Tejada.
Having also won Stage 4 on Wednesday, Vingegaard leads Colombian Daniel Martínez by 3:22 overall. The race ends on Sunday in Nice.
As well as chasing a first Paris-Nice title and a third Tour crown this year, Vingegaard is set for his Giro d’Italia debut in May in a bid to win all three Grand Tours.
He won the Tour de France in 2022 and ’23 and last year clinched his first Spanish Vuelta title.
The 29-year-old Vingegaard has stepped up his preparations after being soundly beaten on the Tour by rival Tadej Pogačar in the past two years, especially in the toughest climbs.
The 113th Tour starts on July 4. ___
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