Per Strand Hagenes goes clear in the final kilometres to win Paris–Tours
The Norwegian attacked from an 11-rider group on the run into Tours and held off Jasper Stuyven by two seconds, with Visma | Lease a Bike teammate Christophe Laporte third.
Per Strand Hagenes won the 120th Paris–Tours on 11 October, attacking from a reduced front group in the closing kilometres and finishing alone after 217.3 km from Chartres.
The Norwegian, who rides for Visma | Lease a Bike, finished in 4 hours 31 minutes 46 seconds. Belgium’s Jasper Stuyven (Soudal Quick-Step) chased him to the line and was second, two seconds back. Hagenes’s teammate Christophe Laporte, a former winner of the race, was third.
It was Hagenes’s fifth professional win and his second of the season, after the Antwerp Port Epic in May, Domestique reported. He had already won the under-23 version of the race, Paris–Tours Espoirs, before turning professional.
Decided in the vineyards
Paris–Tours is one of the last big one-day races of the season, and its modern route ends with unpaved tracks through the vineyards of the Loire valley.
Five riders formed the early break: Stefan Bissegger, Yves Lampaert, Storm Ingebrigtsen, Matis Louvel and Julius van den Berg. Their lead went beyond three minutes before the gravel sectors in the final 60 km broke the race apart.
Punctures and repeated accelerations stretched the peloton. Tim Merlier punctured at the wrong moment and spent a long time chasing, and a crash with 49 km to go brought down Arnaud De Lie and Mathias Vacek among others.
Latvia’s Toms Skujiņš forced the decisive split with 20 km left, attacking repeatedly on the short climbs. Eleven riders came together at the front, including Hagenes, Laporte, Stuyven, Skujiņš, Paul Lapeira, Lewis Askey and Jonas Abrahamsen.
According to Domestique, the group did not cooperate on the run into Tours. When Hagenes attacked nobody reacted quickly enough, and Stuyven was left to chase alone.
The race came a day after Paul Seixas won Il Lombardia, the season’s final Monument.
