COLOMBIER-LE-VIEUX, France (AP) — Danish cyclist Jonas Vingegaard showed he is in strong climbing form after a dominant breakaway victory on the hilly fifth stage of Paris-Nice on Thursday.
Vingegaard's rivals could not get near the race leader on thelast four climbsand he waved and blew a kiss to the roadside camera crew entering the final section.
The two-time Tour de France champion finished the 206-kilometer (128-mile) trek to Colombier-le-Vieux in southern France 2 minutes, 2 seconds ahead of French rider Valentin Paret-Peintre and 2:20 clear of Colombian Harold Tejada.
Having also won Stage 4 on Wednesday, Vingegaard leads Colombian Daniel Martínez by 3:22 overall. The race ends on Sunday in Nice.
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As well as chasing a first Paris-Nice title and a third Tour crown this year, Vingegaard is set for hisGiro d'Italiadebut in May in a bid to win all threeGrand Tours.
He won the Tour de Francein 2022 and '23and last year clinched his firstSpanish Vuelta title.
The 29-year-old Vingegaard has stepped up his preparations after being soundly beaten on the Tour by rivalTadej Pogačarin the past two years, especially in the toughest climbs.
The 113thTour starts on July 4. ___
AP sports:https://apnews.com/sports
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