Paris-Nice stage 6: Mattias Skjelmose triumphant after decisive three-up move

Mattias Skjelmose of Lidl-Trek won stage 6 of Paris-Nice, outsprinting Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates) and Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike) in the uphill run to the line.

The trio contested the stage honours after producing a three-man move that sprung a surprise on the likes of Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step), Primož Roglič (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers).

McNulty pipped Jorgenson for second, whilst Evenepoel and an elite group of riders eventually came over the line a little over 50 seconds down.

A ten-man breakaway had gone clear earlier in the stage, but it soon became clear that the GC teams fancied their chances of leaving a positive mark on the stage. Ineos Grenadiers set a furious pace at the front of the peloton to extinguish the breakaway's futile advantage.

With the peloton complete, Bora-Hansgrohe had sensed an opportunity on the final categorised climb, with Roglič producing his first attack of the season. His move was fleeting, however, and it was Jorgenson who took the initiative.

The American was pursued with real intent by Skjelmose and McNulty, with the three uniting at the front and soon building a handsome gap over the chasers. With the final 20km trending downhill, the trio took their leave and came to the finish together.

Starting the day just 27 seconds behind then-race leader Luke Plapp (Jayco AlUla), McNulty took ownership of the yellow jersey after an aggressive ride between Sisteron and La Colle-sur-Loup.

"I am really happy and surprised," Skjelmose told Eurosport after the finish. "I was feeling quite good all day but you know, these kind of days are a bit special and you need a lot of luck. But the team worked perfectly for me after Mads was brought back by the breakaway and when the team works like this, it minimises all the luck you need.

"I thought Remco or Primož or one of the guys higher up the GC would close [the gap to Jorgenson], but I tried to pull a little bit and they let me go, or gave me a few metres. Then Brandon joined me and we could close to Matteo."

Lengthy battle for definitive breakaway

Standing at a little under 200km in length, stage 6 of Paris-Nice was always earmarked as a great opportunity for the breakaway to contest the victory, with a series of category 2 climbs scattered throughout the afternoon and preceding a downhill run to the finish.

Naturally, this resulted in an intense battle to escape the peloton and venture off the front. Over the first hour of racing, the peloton averaged 44km/h as numerous attacks came and went without sticking.

Among those on the attack were Anthony Turgis (TotalEnergies), his teammate and king of the mountains leader Mathieu Burgaudeau, Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) and Laurence Pithie (Groupama-FDJ), but after 60km, the peloton remained intact. That is, save for those who had struggled to hack the pace and been dropped, including two-time stage winner Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike).

It was not until the first climb of the day, the Col des Lèques (6.6km at 5%), that true gaps began to emerge. Christian Scaroni (Astana Qazaqstan) had voiced his ambitions to Eurosport ahead of the stage and duly delivered with vigour, pioneering multiple attacks and taking maximum points over the summit.

On the descent, a few more attackers emerged and a definitive breakaway was formed. Joining Scaroni out front were Burgaudeau, Pithie, Pedersen, Marco Haller (Bora-Hansgrohe), Georg Zimmermann (Intermarché-Wanty), Gijs Leemreize (dsm-firmenich PostNL), Michael Storer (Tudor Pro Cycling), Cedric Beullens (Lotto Dstny) and Bruno Armirail (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale).

Banding together with a little over 115km to ride, the 10-man group was kept on a tight leash by the peloton, which was marshalled handsomely by Ineos Grenadiers. Their ambitions for the day were beginning to emerge and under their steam, the breakaway was caught some 58km from the finish.

Primož Roglič makes first attack in Bora-Hansgrohe colours

On the category 2 Côte de La Colle-sur-Loup with a little over 30km to ride, Bora-Hansgrohe made a surprise appearance at the front of proceedings, with Matteo Sobrero setting a lightning tempo that dispatched all but teammate Primož Roglič and UAE Team Emirates' Brandon McNulty from his wheel.

McNulty's resistance was admirable, but so too was Roglič's ambition, which saw him attack alone and drop the American on the steepest slopes of the climb. At first, it looked as though the Slovenian might put on a demonstration, but a concerted chase from Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) put paid to his hopes.

Instead, it was Visma-Lease a Bike's Matteo Jorgenson who sensed an opportunity when an elite group coalesced at the front. The American attacked and soon opened a substantial gap, whilst behind, Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) slid out on a corner and was forced into a chase alongside his teammate Pello Bilbao.

Jorgenson, McNulty and Skjelmose go clear

By this point, a dozen or so riders were together behind Jorgenson and it was McNulty and Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) who ventured out alone in pursuit of the lone leader. After 8km or so, the three came together at the front, with the current overall race leader Luke Plapp riding well in the chase group.

Forced into a bike change, however, young rider's jersey holder Buitrago was a minute adrift and visibly frustrated at his misfortune as the race entered its final 20km. With most of it downhill and the leading trio carrying an advantage of 20 seconds, there was a sense that the race-winning move may have gone.

That sense would come true, with the trio extending their lead to over a minute as they worked in unison on the lengthy descent.

Skjelmose opened up his sprint and was rewarded with a look of defeat brought to the faces of McNulty and Jorgenson.