Max Kanter emotional after Paris–Nice stage win as Mike Teunissen powers XDS Astana to big result

"This is incredible, I've waited so long for this," the now 28-year-old Kanter said in the flash interview, his voice still trembling. “I have to thank the team, because I've had some setbacks in recent weeks. But it's a dream to win such a prestigious race, I'm really happy.”

How did he manage to win the second stage of Paris-Nice? “I don't know,” stammered Kanter, who before Monday had only won a stage in the Tour of Turkey (2024) and Lotto Famenne Ardenne Classic (2025). “I tried to stay as focused as possible, and with so much quality around me, this is truly a victory for all of us.”

Kanter's biggest compliments went to Mike Teunissen. The 33-year-old Dutchman has often shown himself to be a very strong sprint preparer in recent years, but on day 2 of Paris-Nice he actually did the work of three. “It was an incredible turn by Mike towards the last roundabout, before he also did a perfect lead-out. I just had to finish it off.”

“I had to get him to the last 200 meters as well as possible,” Teunissen analyzed on Eurosport. “We lost each other several times, but we know how each other reacts in the peloton, so it was no surprise that we found each other again. I'm good at positioning and was even able to do the lead-out. I thought we were too early, but Max was very strong.”

The fact that Kanter was so strong came as a huge surprise to the German himself. “I really didn't feel good on the bike in recent days and weeks, so I said on the bus this morning that I wasn't sure I would make it to the finish. But now I've won. I know I have a good sprint and today everything went well until 200 meters from the finish line,” he said later in the mixed zone.

“Paris-Nice is one of the biggest races in the world, it's great to be able to win here,” Kanter concluded. Teunissen hopes that the snowball will start rolling from here. "At WorldTour level, it's always different than at 1.1 or ProTour level. A lot of good sprinters aren't here, but there's still a good field, so it's not easy to win. This is a great achievement after all our work and it will also give Max a lot of confidence for the future."