Stefan Bissegger of EF Education-Nippo moved into the overall lead of the Paris-Nice week-long race after narrowly winning the time trial in stage three in Gien on Tuesday, his first victory as a professional cyclist.
The Swiss finished with a time of 17 minutes and 34 seconds on the 14.4km course, finishing less than a second faster than Remi Cavagna of Deceuninck-QuickStep, while Jumbo-Visma’s Primoz Roglic finished third six seconds behind.
“It means a lot to me, I worked a long time for it,” Bissegger said. “I’m quite young, so I still have to establish myself to the others but I think I could show today that I’m here and they have to be aware of me.
“Time trials like that are really my thing. I come from track and the short punchy stuff is really good for me. It feels really great to finally show what I’m capable of and take the win here.”
Bissegger is competing in his first full season as a professional and the 22-year-old also claimed the white jersey as the best young rider.
Australian Michael Matthews, who took the overall lead after stage two on Monday, was still leading at the intermediate time check but surrendered the yellow jersey after finishing 23 seconds behind at the finish.
His performance at the Paris-Nice time trials shook up the cycling world and nobody really outside of the team could have expected him to take the win. The 23-year-old was up against some of the most experienced and successful riders in the sport. And yet in his first full season as a pro, Bissegger proved that he’s a name worth remembering in the cycling world.
When teammate Neilson Powless watched him cross the finish line, he could best describe the energy as ‘electric.’ “We’re gonna have a fun dinner tonight and we’ll use this momentum for the rest of the race. It gave us the confidence we needed to carry forward,” said Powless.
“Time trials definitely suit me and I’m very happy. It’s the second big stage race of my career,” said Bissegger.
Bissegger grew up around the green pastures of Switzerland and is now a stage winner on the WorldTour. He’s been racing bikes for nearly half of his life and did his first road race when he was 10 on a bike borrowed from his local bicycle store. “The guy from the store told me I couldn’t start the race on the bike I had been riding around on as a child,” Bissegger explains. “He gave me a bike of his. That bike and that race started it all. And the funny thing is, the guy who gave me the bike, he’s now my trainer. I was 10-years-old. He’s been by my side for 10 years now,” said Bissegger.
2021 Paris-Nice: Stage 3 Brief Results
- Stefan Bissegger (EF Education-Nippo) at 17′ 34″
- Remi Cavagna (DECEUNINCK – QUICK – STEP) s.t.
- Primoz Roglic (Team Jumbo Visma) at 6″
- Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates) at 9″
- Soren Kragh Andersen (Team DSM) at 10″
General Classification After Stage 3:
- Stefan Bissegger (EF Education-Nippo) at 17′ 34″
- Remi Cavagna (DECEUNINCK – QUICK – STEP) s.t.
- Primoz Roglic (Team Jumbo Visma) at 6″
- Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates) at 9″
- Michael Matthews (Team Bike Exchange) at 9″ (14″ bonus)
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