Aurélien Paret-Peintre
«My best result on the World Tour»
«It's a great performance, my best result in the mountains in the UCI World Tour. I have nothing to be ashamed of. It bodes well for the rest of Paris-Nice. I felt really good all day. My teammates did a great job. Mikaël (Cherel) pushed hard and put me in a good position. I managed to break away from the chasing group on the flat section at the end. I'm really happy with this fourth place. Now, the goal will be to climb up the general classification to secure another top 10 finish. We know that Saturday's stage will basically be a hill climb to the Col de la Couillole, but Friday and Sunday could offer more opportunities. It would also be nice to get a stage win before the end of Paris-Nice. »
Vincent Lavenu
«This leads us to anticipate great things for the future.»
«We knew Aurélien had strong legs. To think he could finish fourth today was daring, but it proves he's in very good shape. He worked hard. This puts him back in the overall standings and bodes well for the rest of Paris-Nice. We decided to put someone at the front if a group of four or five riders broke away. Larry (Warbasse) played his cards right. Behind him, the team did a great job for our leader. It's a very good day for the AG2R CITROËN team.»
The information
News about the injured riders from the AG2R CITROËN team
Serge Niamke, doctor for the AG2R CITROËN team, provides an update on the AG2R CITROËN riders who are currently recovering.
After falling during the second stage of the Tour des Alpes Maritimes et du Var, Franck Bonnamour underwent further tests which revealed a fracture in his right foot. The Breton rider from the AG2R CITROËN team will be out of action for four weeks. He will undergo a check-up at the end of March to decide whether or not he can resume training.
Nicolas Prodhomme, who underwent surgery on 1 February for a broken right collarbone after a fall during the Grand Prix Cycliste La Marseillaise, has resumed training. The 26-year-old rider is taking part in the AG2R CITROËN team's training camp from 6 to 11 March on the Costa Brava (Spain). He is expected to return to competition after the camp.
After undergoing surgery on his left iliac artery on 3 January, Antoine Raugel has resumed outdoor cycling. He will also be training with the AG2R CITROËN team from 6 to 11 March on the Costa Brava (Spain) and is expected to return to competition in April.
Suffering from tendonitis in his left knee since January, Marc Sarreau has resumed training. The date of his return to competition has not yet been determined.
Damien Touzé, who fell during Le Samyn, suffered trauma with contusion of the left knee requiring functional physiotherapy treatment for a period of 15 days. He is expected to return to competition at the Grand Prix de Denain (16 March).
16
The figure
Ben O'Connor is in 16th place overall after the first three stages of Tirreno–Adriatico.
«It wasn't necessarily a stage for me today with the crosswind at the end, but I was able to respond by staying with the leading group. Even though everything went back to normal and there was no difference, it's always better to ride at the front than at the back.
The start of Tirreno–Adriatico was very tense, you had to be lucky. I hope that when it gets hillier over the next three days, it will be a little less stressful and I can get some good results,» said Ben O'Connor.
Suffering from digestive problems since Tuesday evening and unable to eat, Valentin Paret-Peintre was forced to abandon the third stage of Tirreno-Adriatico.
