None other than Vinokourov helped Tejada to Paris–Nice stage win: “I was ready for it”

Tejada had already shown strong form this season, much like a large part of the Astana squad. He finished fourth overall at the UAE Tour, and on Thursday’s tough mountain stage to Colombier-le-Vieux he had already come home in third place. Thanks to his stage win on day 6, he moved back into the top ten of the general classification, having lost that position on the chaotic echelon stage earlier in the week.

Unsurprisingly, Tejada wore a broad smile in the flash interview afterwards. “I have to thank God, my wife, my daughter, my family and everyone who has always believed in me. I’ve just won a stage in Paris–Nice, my first professional victory in Europe. I’m going to enjoy this, even though there are still two days to go.”

The stage win was even more impressive than it looked on television. Tejada revealed afterwards that he had actually dropped behind the peloton on the penultimate climb of the day. “I had a mechanical problem and had to change bikes. The team did a fantastic job, and just before the final climb we were back.”

“I wanted to position myself well, so I started moving up. Once I reached the front, I knew that if I had the legs, I had to attack,” said the stage winner. “It turned out to be the right moment. When I won a stage in the Tour of Colombia in 2024, that gave me a boost, but I think this victory will remain the best one of my life.”

“If you work hard, your dreams come true,” Tejada added. Or, as he said in an Astana press release: “I’ve waited a long time for this. We came to Paris–Nice as a team aiming to fight for the podium, but after the echelon stage we found ourselves in a difficult position. Now we already have two stage wins, and I still have the chance to fight for a top-ten finish overall.”

From within XDS Astana, it was none other than Alexandre Vinokourov who offered Tejada advice ahead of stage 6. “He told me that if I felt good, I should try to attack towards the top. I studied the climb and the descent as well, so I was ready for it. Even so, I still couldn’t believe that I had really won.”