Dorian Godon claimed his first victory for the INEOS Grenadiers with a strong man’s sprint in tough wintery conditions at Paris-Nice.

The race’s penultimate stage had to be amended not once but twice due to snow and heavy, persistent rain. A GC day of climbing was ultimately replaced by a 47-kilometre uphill drag, with the team working hard to set up a bunch sprint into Isola.

Committing fully to the new plan, the Grenadiers executed perfectly, with Kevin Vauquelin and then Josh Tarling driving into the final kilometre. Sam Watson then continued the leadout before Godon jumped clear, rebounding from a number of recent near-misses to claim a popular victory.

Positioning had been key on the uphill drag, with the likes of Carlos Rodriguez and Michal Kwiatkowski getting through a lot of work to ensure the team remained to the fore in a fast and furious stage. 

The sprint ensured that the GC positions went unchanged, with Vauquelin retaining fourth place overall with one stage to go.