SAINT-SAUVEUR-DE-MONTAGUT, France – American Brandon McNulty (UAE) won the 5th stage of Paris-Nice alone, a race now led by Slovenian Primoz Roglic (Jumbo), Thursday in the small town of Saint -Sauveur-de-Montagut in the Ardèche.
The Belgian Wout van Aert, who occupied the first place in the classification, got up in the main difficulty, the Col de la Mure, some 40 kilometers from the finish.
Roglic finished in the first peloton reduced to fifteen units, almost six minutes away.
To win the stage, McNulty distanced his companions in the Col de la Mure from a breakaway launched in the first half hour of this 188.8 kilometer stage.
The young American (23), winner of the Ardèche Classic at the end of February in the same department, won the fifth success of his career, the third of the season.
Frenchman Franck Bonnamour took second place in the stage, nearly two minutes ahead of another American, Matteo Jorgenson.
Eighteen runners withdrew before the start, most for reasons of flu, bronchitis or sinusitis.
Friday, the 6th stage, the longest of the event, connects Courthézon (Vaucluse) to Aubagne (Bouches-du-Rhône) over 213.6 kilometers with the Espigoulier pass at the entrance to the last 30 kilometers.
Classification of the 5th stage :
1. Brandon McNulty (USA/UAE), the 188.8 km in 4 h 53:30.
2. Franck Bonnamour (FRA / BBH) at 1:58.
3. Matteo Jorgenson (USA/MOV) 1:58.
4. Harm Vanhoucke (BEL/LOT) 2:30.
5. Laurent Pichon (FRA / ARK) 4:01.
6. Anthony Turgis (FRA/TEN) 4:02.
7. Valentin Madouas (FRA/GFJ) 4:57.
8. Owain Doull (GBR/EF1) 4:57.
9. Pierre Latour (FRA/TEN) 5:43.
10. Quentin Pacher (FRA/GFJ) 5:43.
11. Aleksandr Vlasov (RUS/BOR) 5:43.
12. Nairo Quintana (COL/ARK) 5:43.
…
15. Aurélien Paret-Peintre (FRA/AG2) 5:43.
16. Adam Yates (GBR/INE) 5:43.
17. Jack Haig (AUS/BAH) 5:43.
19. Joao Almeida (POR/UAE) 5:43.
20. Simon Yates (GBR/BIK) 5:43.
21. Guillaume Martin (FRA/COF) 5:43.
22. Daniel Martinez (COL/INE) 5:43.
23. Primoz Roglic (SLO/JUM) 5:43.
