Skip to main content
SeeNice

Drama to the end for Paris-Nice 2017

Team Sky's Henao beats Contador by just 2 seconds

featured in News & reviews Author Pam Williamson, Nice Editor Updated

The 2017 Race to the Sun Paris-Nice was won by Columbian cyclist Sergio Henao, who took the victory by just two seconds over Spain's Alberto Contador.

Stage success for De la Cruz (Quick-Step Floors) on Sunday's final stage denied Contador 10 precious bonus seconds which would have seen him and not Henao take overall victory.

After the dramatic weather conditions of the first few stages of the Paris-Nice 2017 edition, the cyclists entered the final three stages in the mountain regions behind Nice with Julain Alaphillippe still in the yellow jersey and the favourites of Sergio Henao, Dan Martin and Alberto Contador between 1 and 1 minute 30 seconds behind the race leader.

British rider Simon Yates launched an attack during the final stages of Friday's race to Fayence and took the day's victory by 17 seconds over Sergio Henao. This was still not enough to knock Alaphillippe off the top step and the peloton came out fighting for the penultimate stage from Nice to Col de la Couillole on Saturday.

Ritchie Porte and Alberto Contador shook things up on stage 7 as Porte took the stage victory and Contador showed his incredible turn of pace to edge past some of his rivals and finish 21 seconds behind the stage winner with Dan Martin and Sergio Henao a further 11 seconds back. This put Henao into yellow, with Dan Matin 30 seconds off the pace and Contador just 31 seconds back.

Stage 8 started and finished in the city of Nice on Sunday where a dramatic final few metres saw David de la Cruz snatch the stage win and the 10 seconds bonus from Alberto Contador. This final result saw Sergio Henao remain in yellow and take the overall win in Paris-Nice 2017 with Contador just 2 seconds behind him in second place. Dan Martin completed the podium in third place.

For Contador it was a cruel near miss coming after he had been edged out by just four seconds by Geraint Thomas 12 months ago. “I only missed out by a tiny bit, it’s a shame,” he said. “I’m very proud of what I did and I’m satisfied despite finishing second.”

Henao's win was the fifth in the past six editions for Team Sky, courtesy of Bradley Wiggins (2012), Richie Porte (2013-2015) and Geraint Thomas (2016). "It was a crazy day,” beamed Henao. “This is the biggest win of my career, I hope it means more will follow."