Again terrible conditions in Paris-Nice: "In 5 minutes you can feel completely frozen"

The conditions in Paris-Nice caused a lot of commotion on Wednesday. The neutralization and restart caused controversy, as some riders did not agree with the procedure. But the weather gods are not listening to the complaints. The cold also affects the fifth stage of Paris-Nice, and the queen stage on Saturday is also at stake. This year, the Race to the Sun is anything but that.

Many riders felt cold during and after the fourth stage. Jonas Vingegaard was one of them, even though he almost won the stage. Afterwards, he complained about the race continuing. The fifth stage will be no fun for him, either. The riders were dressed warmly at the start. 'I'm already cold,' Maximilian Schachmann told Sporza before the start. I'm wearing four layers, but I'm considering putting on a fifth.'

The German from Soudal Quick-Step will not be the only one uncomfortable in these harsh conditions. "People will get hurt no matter what," his sports director Tom Steels thinks out loud. He realizes that the choice of clothing will be crucial. "Racing in temperatures from 1 to 7 degrees is always hectic and difficult. In 5 minutes, you can feel frozen if you choose the wrong clothing. Then it becomes dangerous to get ill."

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Stage to Auron in jeopardy? "That's unfortunate"

Oliver Naesen agrees. "You can't go as deep at these temperatures, affecting your immune system. It's a matter of risk calculation: if you ride in the cold a lot, there's a greater chance that you'll get ill. So, I'll adjust how intensely I approach the race compared to how I would approach it at 20 degrees." The 34-year-old Belgian from Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale had already been very critical of the organization's choices the day before but also named several teams as culprits: "There was zero solidarity. This is race fixing!" he complained at the time."

Whether the race will be completed in its entirety, without neutralization, remains to be seen. But Saturday's stage is also at risk. The queen stage towards Auron seems uncertain due to the snowfall at the finish line: as much as 30 centimeters of snow could fall. "The forecasts are terrible for the time being. No one likes this weather, but we must keep going," says Matteo Trentin. "I have many friends who live in Auron. They complain that there is no snow all winter, and now it looks like it will snow twice when Paris-Nice passes through. That's very unfortunate. Hopefully, it will change, but we can't risk an uphill finish in these conditions."

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