Key moments

Slovakia’s Peter Sagan, the youngest rider in Paris-Nice, won a shortened third stage over 153 kms in Aurillac, while the peloton’s elder, Jens Voigt, seized the yellow jersey.The race unfolded in the last climb, the Cote de La Martinie, three kilometres from the finish, when six riders revealed their ambitions in this 68th Race to the Sun. Ireland’s Nicolas Roche was the first in action, followed by Sagan, Voigt, Tony Martin, Joaquin Rodriguez, but also Alberto Contador.The 2009 Tour champion acceleration in the last climb showed that his crash in the first stage was but a memory and the Spaniard could even have done better if his pedals had not snapped in the final sprint.Yet the day belonged to the young and the old, the 20-year-old Sagan trailing the 38-year-old Voigt by a slim six seconds ahead of a potentially decisive 4th stage to Mende on Thursday.

Snow at the start
 
Because of snow at the originally scheduled start in St Junien, the stage was moved by 55 kms to St Yrieix-la-Perche, home of 1994 world champion Luc Leblanc. The first intermediate sprint in Coussac-Bonneval was cancelled.
The new start was given at 13:06 to 170 riders. Slovenia’s Grega Bole (Lampre) who hit the tarmac in the final sprint yesterday, did not start. 
On the first climb (Km 15), Laurent Mangel (Saur Sojasun) strengthened his polka-dot jersey. A brief attack by Albert Timmer (SKS) at km 22 was rapidly tamed.

Three-man break

The big break of the day took place at kilometre 31 when Yann Huguet (also Skil Shimano), Nikolas Maes (Quick Step) and Jurgen Roelandts (Omega Pharma Lotto) went. The break rapidly gained momentum and reached seven minutes at the foot of the Cote de Ste Fortunade (km 67). It started to go down when the Caisse d’Epargne e took over from the Rabos in the chase but it remained stable at around 4:30 until the Cote de Sexcles (km 110), which Huguet climbed in top spot, like the previous one. At the bottom, the trio’s lead had melted and was down to two minutes, Caisse d’Epargne shaving the trio’s lead by two minutes with each climb.

Last climb showdown

Maes was dropped by his two companions with 22 kms to go as the break’s lead had gone down to the minute. The peloton kept raising the pace until the last climb, the Cote de la Martinie, three kilometres from the finish, on which the gap was down to 20 seconds.
On the last climb, Ireland’s Nicolas Roche surged, followed by young Slovak Peter Sagan and Alberto Contador. Roche was first at the top and a group of six riders went for the line including Roche, Sagan, Contador, Tony Martin, Jens Voigt and Joaquin Rodriguez.
Sagan outsprinted the other five for the stage win. Jens Voigt took the yellow jersey away from Lars Boom, the prologue winner.
 

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Jens Voigt: “Paris-Nice is a big race and after I had a good prologue, I told myself that with a little bit of luck I could sneak into the yellow jersey. I’m more than happy and now we have to try to hold on to it. Tomorrow is is very tricky and we’ll see how the team goes and if it’s possible to take it all the way to Nice. I feel better than I did last year at the same time.
The young guns keep pushing and say, hey, old man, go away! It’s not getting easier with the years. But I still train hard, Is till have the dedication and I’m still determined to get a few results.”

Peter Sagan : I’m very happy because it’s my first win in a big race. But Roman Kreuziger is the number one in the team. Tomorrow my role is to help him out. I have no ambition here because I’m young and I’m here to learn.

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