Australian Storer best in freezing cold mountain stage, thanks to super-domestique Alaphilippe: "He really motivated me"

It doesn't make sense for an Australian to show off his skills in the snow. But, given the circumstances, Michael Storer was the best of a strong leading group and managed to win the very difficult queen stage of Paris-Nice. It was his first victory in two years, but it would not have happened if he had not received help from a special super-domestique.

Dressed warmly and trembling, the 28-year-old climber sat in front of the cameras for the flash interview. "It's great to win, although I would have preferred it if it weren't so cold today," Storer laughed. "I had a very good day, and it's not every day that a two-time world champion rides in front of you,' he says, referring to teammate Julian Alaphilippe. 'That made me super motivated, and the rest of my teammates have helped me all week."

A special side note to the beautiful victory was that Tudor's leader was not supposed to be in the breakaway at all. "The plan was for only Julian to be in the breakaway. But I just rode by feeling and followed Marco Haller. We weren't even supposed to follow the first attack, but suddenly we were there, so we went for it." Eventually, he was at the front with about fifteen men, including Mauro Schmid (Jayco-AlUla) and Josh Tarling (INEOS Grenadiers).

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Alaphilippe crucial: "He was the most important man today"

In the end, Alaphilippe closed the gap, after which the French rider rode full speed for his teammate. "It was an excellent group, perfect when Julian closed the gap. He is someone who can read the race, and he saw that there was a possibility with a good group. Without him, we wouldn't have had a chance today; he was the most important man today. I'm glad I could finish it off." Storer's victory moves him to the top five in the GC. "Oh, cool, I didn't know. That's a nice bonus, but the stage win is already satisfying enough."

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Freezing cold and snow make Queen Stage of Paris-Nice brutal: Storer wins, Jorgenson keeps the lead

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