22 May 2008
The 32nd edition of the Tour de Corse was a success again this year, a four-day challenge for local and national cyclists, all ready to tackle some of the most difficult climbs through the island's fearsome peaks.
Seventeen-year-old Paul Sage from the Amicale Cycliste Bisontine from Besancon in France, near the border with Switzerland, has won the Tour last Sunday, outrunning cyclist Florian Bernard by only nine seconds.
The Tour de Corse, which is widely known for its level of difficulty, is Paul Sage's first major victory, and should secure him a successful career.
The 17-year-old told Corse Matin that to win the Tour de Corse, one needs to be a good climber and that he was rather surprised because he tends to be a better sprinter or track racer.
Paul won the yellow jersey (maillot jaune) on the third day on the journey from Biguglia to Vescovato.
The 22 teams competing for the Tour de Corse started in capital Ajaccio on May, 15th, to arrive in Bastia in the north four days later, covering a distance of exactly 470 kilometres.
