Nevers
184.5 km
Monday 10 March
Thor Hushovd retains the race leader’s yellow jersey with a six seconds lead over Steegmans and 12 over Kroon.
Top five placings:
1. Gert Steegmans (Bel, Quick Step)
2. Jerome Pineau (France, Bouygues Telecom)
3. Thor Hushovd (Norway, Credit Agricole)
4. Philippe Gilbert (Belgium, FdJ)
5. Karsten Kroon (Netherlands, CSC)
Steegmans surges in the last 400 metres to win the first stage of Paris-Nice.
Sylvain Chavanel (Cofidis) also tries to part with the bunch, but his attempt is reined in.
David Millar (Slipstream) was also involved in the crash. He chases to return into the leading bunch.
Three riders crashed with less than five kilometres to go but made it back on their bike. One of the riders involved was Belgium’s Wilfried Cretskens.
Belgium’s Gert Steegmans (Quick Step), one of the leading favourites today, joined Pineau and forced him back into the peloton.
Jerome Pineau (Bouygues Telecom) tries his luck in turn after the junction. Five kilometres left.
Cherel is joined by three other riders but their lead over the bunch is minimal.
Mickael Cherel (FDJ) attacks with six kilometres to go.
The first part of the bunch now lead the group includint Cadel Evans and Stefan Schumacher by 1:20.
The three escapees were caught by the peloton.
The first chasing group, including Hushovd, Chavanel, Luis Sanchez and Nocentini are now 28 seconds behind the three leaders. The second bunch, with Philippe Gilbert (FDJ), David Millar (Slipstream) and Franck Schleck (CSC), are a further ten seconds off the pace. The next group, featuring Cadel Evans and Stefan Shcumacher, are losing ground.
Eisel, Velits and Terpstra now lead the first chasing group by 40 seconds. Belgium’s Philippe Gilbert is in the second chasing bunch, lying a minute behind. Cadel Evans is in a third group, 1:40 adrift.
Situation of the race with 25 kms to go - three men in the lead (Eisel, Velits and Terpstra), the first part of the bunch, involving race leader Thor Hushovd, 1:15 behind, the second part of the bunch 1:25 adrift.
Results of the intermediate sprint in Villequiers (km 57):
1. Eisel 2. Velits 3. Terpstra.
The first part of the main pack includes race leader Thor Hushovd and other favourites like Sylvain Chavanel (Cofidis), Rinaldo Nocentini (AG2R), Gert Steegmans and four of his Quick Step team-mates, and Spain’s Luis Leon Sanchez (Caisse d’Epargne).
The three escapees only lead the first part of the peloton by 1:15 with 35 kms to go.
The peloton splits in four little bunches. Yellow jersey holder Thor Hushovd is in the first part of the bunch, which includes about 20 riders.
Five kilometres before the only intermediate sprint in Villequiers, the bunch is trailing the leading trio by 3:35.
A dozen of riders held back by a crash made it back into the main bunch. Cadel Evans is among them.
The latest gap was down to 3:10 at kilometre 44. The maximum lead was 4:10.
The average speed in the first hour of the race was 39.3 kph.
Autralia’s Cadel Evans (Lotto) crashed but is being taken back into the main pack by his Lotto team-mates.
With 52 kms to go, the three escapees - Eisel, Terpstra, Velits - lead the main pack by four minutes. The peloton is led by riders from La Francaise des Jeux and Quick Step.
Km 36 - The three breakaways lead the bunch by 2:50.
Km 25 - The three escapees lead the bunch by 45 seconds. Grivko was caught by the peloton.
Classification at the top of the Cote de venoize (km 15):
1. Dionisio Galparsoro (Spain, EUS) 4 pts
2. Bernhard Eisel (Austria, THR) 2 pts
3. Haimar Zubeldia (Spain, EUS) 1 pt
Austria’s Bernhard Eisel (High Road), Dutchman Niki Terpstra and Slovak Peter Velits (both Milram) broke on the descent of the Cote de Venoize. The three are chased by Andriy Grivko, the white jersey holder, also from Team Milram.
Spain’s Dionisio Galparsoro (Euskaltel) was the first rider to attack in this Paris-Nice. He surged on the first climb of this edition, the 3rd category Cote de Venoize (km 15)
A collective crash on the slippery tarmac of this first stage involved France’s David Moncoutie (Cofidis), Dutchman Koos Moerenhout (Rabobank), Xavier Florencio (Bouygues) and two Saunier Duval riders. They all made it back on their bikes.
Thor Hushovd (Norway, CA) hold the yellow jersey with a 4 seconds lead over Markel Irizar (Spain, EUS). Irizar is wearing the green jersey. In the under-25 standings, Ukraine’s Andriy Grivko (Milram) leads American Trent Lowe (Slipstream) by one second.
The peloton stretches as the 160 riders obviously want to reach Nevers as quickly as possible. The rain keeps pouring.
The start of the first stage was given at 14:43 in La Chapelotte to 160 riders.
Nevers-born Jean-Francois Bernard, who won Paris-Nice in 1992, said he had never seen such a bad weather on a race day in his hometown: "I’ve seen bad weather here, but never that bad on a race day. Last week, we were sunbathing on a terrace," he said. Bernard sees Gert Steegmans as his favourite today.
Credit Agricole team director Serge Beucherie was convinced the decision to shorten the stage would have consequences: “It totally changes the outlook of the race, with only two hours of racing instead of five. It’s going to start very fast and stay fast. I see everybody make it together to the foot of the last climb and then, it’s a wide open race. We had decided, even before the start was moved, not to defend Thor’s jersey at all costs and we’re not going to jump in every wheel, especially as many teams will have a rider with ambitions, Gilbert, Chavanel, Nocentini, Fedrigo or Thor…â€
Slightly disappointed by his prologue, David Millar confirmed he had long term plans on this Paris-Nice: « The weather played a great role but Thor was incredible. He’s always capable of feats like this only you never know when… I was okay even if I could not give it my all. Some guys ahead of me started before the wind was so hard. Fotunately, there is a whole week ahead of us, » he told sports daily l’Equipe.
Today’s stage will be the 20th time Paris-Nice comes to Nevers. Mass sprint finishes have been the rule so far, but this year could be an exception. The finish line lies at the end of a 800 metres climb at 7.1 percent. Thor Hushovd, Stefan Schumacher, Davide Rebellin and Philippe Gilbert were among the most fancied riders at the start.
La Francaise des Jeux team director Marc Madiot said the decision to move the start of the stage would not change the outcome of the race: "From what I’ve seen, we could have started from Amilly, but they would not take the risk of a crash or an injury which is fair enough. It will not affect the outcome of the race, it will just be allitle bit faster. Lots of people see Philippe Gilbert do well today, but for me this is a stage for sprinters and the man to watch is Thor Hushovd."
The first climb of this Paris-Nice is the 3rd category côte de Venoize, at kilometre 15.
One intermediate sprint is on the day’s menu in Villequiers at km 57.
The start was finally moved to the feeding zone in La Chapelotte, at the original kilometre 91. The riders will now cover 93.5 kms before the finish in Nevers.
Gale force winds and heavy rain on most of the west and north part of France forced race director Christian Prudhomme to shorten the stage and transfer the start from Amilly to Sancerre. The new start will be given at 14:30 in Sancerre, 74 kms from the finish in Nevers. Riders will be taken by bus to the new start.
