Matteo Trentin capped off a fine display by Quick Step Floors by winning the 111th edition of Paris-Tours, in what was his last race with the Belgian team.
Trentin and his team mate Niki Terpstra took over the role of main protagonists after defending champion Fernando Gaviria crashed on the wet roads in a corner, 20 kilometres from the finish. The race was brought to life by the 28-year-old Italian inside the last ten kilometres, on Côte de Beau Soleil, where his devastating attack blew the peloton apart and sparked a response from only a handful of riders.
On the day’s last climb, the Côte de l’Epan, Trentin attacked and his fierce acceleration led to another important selection, with only Terpstra and Soren Kragh Andersen (Team Sunweb) making the cut this time.
As the road flattened out and the chasers began pulling behind, the trio enjoyed a 12-second advantage, which they maintained thanks to the fantastic work laid down by Terpstra , who put in some strong turns at the front, ensuring the three won’t get caught by the group.
Having enjoyed a superb second part of the season, with six wins – including four stages at the Vuelta a España – Trentin was the favourite to take the victory and the Italian didn’t disappoint, opening his sprint with 250 metres to go and powering to his second success in three years at the French classic, which Quick-Step Floors have now won for the third consecutive season.
“The light rain and wet roads made for a strung out bunch, so on the first hill I said to myself it won’t hurt to give it a go,” said Trentin at the end of the race which three of his teammates finished in the top 10: Niki Terpstra (3rd), Maximiliano Richeze (5th) and Yves Lampaert (7th).
“A first group formed, but then I went again and Niki came across. We played perfect tactics and Niki did an incredible work and a provided a superb lead-out in the last kilometre. It’s fantastic to end the season in such a manner. I want to thank to Quick-Step Floors for these seven years, it was an honour to ride with them and I’m proud of bringing down the curtain over my time here with a second victory in Paris-Tours.”
