The massacre continues in Paris-Nice. This time, it was the third in the general classification that had to abandon after a heavy fall during the 6th and penultimate stage.
Paris-Nice is never a pleasure, and this 83rd edition is no exception to the rule. The runners have been accompanied by the rain and the bad weather since the start of the race and, without surprise, there is unfortunately breakage.
On this 7th stage, the organizers decided to modify the route by removing the passage on the Colmiane pass, whose descent was made too dangerous because of the snow. But that did not prevent one of the favorites of the race from leaving the peloton following a heavy fall.
Skjelmose, third favorite in the carpet
52 kilometers from the finish, Mattias Skjelmose went to the ground. The leader of the Lidl-Trek fell on his own, by hitting a directional island at the exit of a roundabout. The Danish violently struck the bitumen, tapping with all his right flank, and even the head. The abandonment was quickly announced.
It is the third favorite that leaves the race, after his compatriot Jonas Vingegaard and the Colombian Santiago Buitrago. Mattias Skjelmose had carried out a good operation the day before towards Berre-l’Etang by taking the right blow in the borders, and he had replaced third place in the general classification before the big battle announced this weekend. Winner of the Tour de Switzerland in 2023, the 24-year-old Danish won a stage last year in Paris-Nice and finished fourth in the final ranking.