Greig Leach

It may well have been raining on the Cote d'Azur, but nothing was going to dampen the spirits of this Frenchman. Tony Gallopin (Lotto Soudal) had escaped on the final climb of Paris Nice road stages and had continued to press his advantage all the way down to the sea. Behind him a group of four chasers could never gain on him and the third group on the road of Geraint Thomas, Richie Porte (both Team Sky) and Michal Kwiatkowski (Etixx-Quickstep) dropped further and further back. The trio lost over a minute to the rider from France and the new Maillot Jaune. With the time bonuses factor in, Gallopin has a 36 second lead going into the final stage of Paris Nice, a short steep uphill Individual Time Trial that will decide the final victor of the race. The last time aFrenchman won the Race to the Sun was way back in 1997. There truly is a renaissance in French cycling. It should be noted that Gallopin was the only French rider to wear the Maillot Jaune in the last Tour de France.