Cosnefroy wins the sprint in France, Balsamo in Spain: "Even for a phenomenon like Vos, yesterday was tough"

On Sunday, the Tour of the Algarve was in the spotlight, but it was not the only interesting race on the schedule. In the Tour des Alpes-Maritimes, Benoît Cosnefroy won the sprint for both the stage and overall victory, while in the Tour of Valencia, the Elisa Balsamo snagged the win. Afterwards, both riders commented on their achievements.

Cosnefroy came out on top in France, winning the sprint from a reduced group after a tough climbing stage. "It was a solid sprint, but I had confidence in myself. I felt good on the final straight and was at the back of the group. Aurélien Paret-Peintre did an excellent job by bringing me to the front, and ultimately we finished first and second. I always believed in it and never held back. A perfect day, with the overall victory in the bag as well," said the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale rider.

Balsamo had all eyes on her

In Valencia, the race unfolded similarly. There too, the fourth stage was used to attack on the final day, but it was the sprinters who had the final say. Balsamo survived the climbing frenzy and dominated, winning by several bike lengths. "It took a lot of energy to make it a sprint, just like on day one. My teammates made it possible. I knew all eyes would be on me, so we didn’t expect cooperation from anyone."

Lidl-Trek did what they had to do, and Balsamo finished it off. That required very good legs. "The mountain stage on Saturday was felt in the sprint, even for a phenomenon like Marianne Vos," Balsamo said, complimenting the Visma | Lease a Bike rider. "I saved some of my energy yesterday for today's stage," said the winner through her team's official channels.