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Nice
124 km
Sunday 13 March
1. Thomas Voeckler (Europcar)
2. Diego Ulissi (Lampre) 23 seconds behind
3. Julien El Fares (Cofidis) 1:06 behind
4. Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel)
5. David Lopez-Garcia (Movistar) same time.
Tony Martin (THR) wins Paris-Nice.
Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) wins the 124-kms 8th and final stage of Paris-Nice.
... Voeckler is about to avenge his disappoinment of 2010!
...and it looks good for Voeckler.
The French champion now leads Ulissi by 18 seconds.
Voeckler leads
Ulissi 9 secs behind
Carrara, Lopez-Garcia one minute behind
Sanchez and Izagirre 1:12
The peloton 1:30 behind.
... and Voeckler leads Ulissi by nine seconds.
Voeckler attacked in the descent and now leads Ulissi, a two times junior world champion, by a hundred metres.
1. Ulissi 3 pts, 3 seconds
2. Vockler 2 pts, 2 seconds
3. Carrara, 1 pt, 1 second.
Jean-Christophe Peraud (AG2R) was dropped from the yellow jersey group.
1. Ulissi 10 pts
2. Voeckler 8 pts
3. Carrara 6 pts 16 secs
4. Lopez Garcia 4 pts
5. El Fares 3 pts
6. Izagirre 2 pts all same time
1. Sanchez 1 pt 1:20
The peloton 1:32 behind.
The Euskaltel team leader just surged at the front of the peloton to chase behind the break. Bradley Wiggins is chasing.
Last year Voeckler had also embarked on a two-man break with Amael Moinard and had been beatn on the line.
Ulissi (Lampre) and Voeckler (Europcar) have dropped their former breakaway companions in the Col d’Eze.
Team Sky are leading the peloton as the escapees tackle the Col d’Eze.
... and Thomas Voeckler, Julien El Fares, Gorka Izagirre and Diego Ulissi keep a 1:40 lead over the peloton.
Voeckler, Ulissi, El Fares and Izagirre are now in the lead. Carrara and Lopez-Garcia are 10 seconds behind.
Rewinding the GC, letour.fr stops on the riders who played a role in this Paris-Nice.
2nd - Andreas Kloeden (Astana). A t 35, the German confirmed he still had the legs to be a major actor, seizing the lead in Vernoux-en-Vivarais before salvaging a second place overall in Aix-en-Provence against the unbeatable Tony Martin.
1. Lopez-Garcia 10 pts
2. Izagirre 8 pts
3. Ulissi 6 pts
4. El Fares 4 pts
5. Voeckler 3 pts
6. Carrara 2 pts
7. Paulinho 1 pt
Peloton 1:25 behind.
Km 90 - Thirteenth at the start, 2:50 behind Tony Martin, Matteo Carara (Vacansoleil) is of course the most active rider in the break. He is trying to build alliances in the break but it does not seem very easy to obtain.
Rewinding the GC, letour.fr stops on the riders who played a role in this Paris-Nice.
7th Janez Brajkovic (RadioShack) – The Slovenian was a leading player in the decisive break which took place in the 5th stage in Vernoux-en-Vivarais and made the great gesture of setting-up the sprint for Andreas Kloeden, helping the German win the stage and take the yellow jersey.
3rd – Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky). The Briton was second behind Tony Martin in the 6th stage time trial and solidly defended his third place overall.
Six riders are now in the lead: Thomas Voeckler (Europcar), Julien El Fares (Cofidis), David Lopez-Garcia (Movistar), Matteo Cararra (Vacansoleil), Gorka Izagirre (Euskaltel) and Diego Ulissi (Lampre). Their former breakaway companions have been dropped.
Composition of the yellow jersey group: Mollema (Rabobank), Martin, Goss and Van Garderen (THR), Wiggins, Gerrans, Rogers, Thomas (Team Sky), Peraud (AG2R), Rojas (Movistar), Vaitkus (Astana), Brajkovic, Leipheimer, Kloeden, Paulinho (RadioShack), Jeannesson (FDJ), Monfort (Leopard-Trek), Taaramae, Valentin (Cofidis), Samuel Sanchez, Urtasun Perez (Euskaltel)
Km 84 -Nine in the lead
45 secs behind Gerdemann and Vinokourov
1:40 yellow jersey group.
All the major contenders in this Paris Nice are in the 21-strong yellow jersey group.
With 40 kms to go, the peloton has now lost many riders and counts only 21 riders.
Rewinding the GC, letour.fr stops on the riders who played a role in this Paris-Nice.
28th – Luis-Leon Sanchez (Rabobank). The 2009 champion was one of the leading favourites at the start. He was never in contention.
24th – Remy Di Gregorio (Astana) finally won the major victory his talent deserved in the gruelling and rain-soaked 7th stage to Biot.
23rd – Richie Porte (Saxo Bank) confirmed his exceptional potential against the clock by finishing third in the 6th stage TT in Aix-en-Provence.
The average speed in the second hour of the stage was 34.2 kph. The overall average speed was 36.2 kph.
Km 70 - Voeckler, Carrara, Pauriol, El Fares, Ulissi, Lopez-Garcia, Busche, Didier and Izagirre.
Vinokourov 35 secs behind
Gerdemann 1:30 behind
Peloton 2:50 behind.
1. Voeckler 7 points
2. Ulissi 5 pts
3. Carrara 3 pts
2. Izagirre2 pts
1. El Fares 1 pt
One kilometre from the Col de Calaison (km 69), Vinokourov was dropped from the leading group.
Gerdemann was dropped from the leading group, which Matthew Busche reintegrated. The ten lead by 3:05.
Vladimir Gusev ( Katusha) and Romain Hardy (Bretagne-Schuller) - the list of abandons is growing fast.
Rewinding the GC, letour.fr stops on the riders who played a role in this Paris-Nice.
54th – Thomas de Gendt (Vacansoleil) was the main revelation of this edition. The Dutchman won the first stage in Houdan and led a fantastic breakaway in the fourth, won by Thomas Voeckler, to claim the jersey back from Matt Goss.
42nd – Remi Pauriol (FDJ) was part of a long break in the 4th stage, which allowed him to take the best climber’s polka-dot jersey and keep it all the way to Nice.
37th – Thomas Voeckler (FDJ) won the fourth stage in Belleville, showing the same finishing strength which helped him become French champion last season and win a Tour de France stage or the Quebec Grand Prix.
Km 61 - The 11 escapees lead the peloton by 2:30.
1. Remi Pauriol (FDJ) 7 points
2. Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) 5 pts
3. Diego Ulissi (Lampre) 3 pts
4. Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana) 2 pts
5. Linus Gerdemann (Leopard-Trek) 1 pt
Rewinding the GC, letour.fr stops on the riders who played a role in this Paris-Nice.
58th – Jens Voigt (Leopard-Trek) was instrumental in the break which led to the victory by Thomas de Gendt in the 1st stage.
57th – Australian Matthew Goss (THR) won the third stage in Nuits St Georges and took the yellow jersey for a day.
56th – Australia’s Heinrich Haussler (Garmin-Cervelo) failed to win a stage – so far ! – but finished four times in the top five positions to take the green jersey and defend it in spite of crashes in the penultimate stage.
The Frenchman rejoined the leading group after his puncture in the Col de Chateauneuf.
Km 53 - The nine escapees lead the peloton by 1:35.
El Fares punctured and was dropped from the break as well. Nine riders in the lead.
The race is the Col de Chateauneuf (2nd cat, summit at km 55.5)
Matthew Busche (RadioShack) was dropped from the leading group on a mechanical.
Rewinding the GC, letour.fr stops on the riders who played a role in this Paris-Nice.
75th - Karsten Kroon (BMC) staged a brave breakaway in yesterday’s penultimate stage to Biot, creating the biggest gap in this Paris-Nice (6:50).
Rewinding the GC, letour.fr stops on the riders who played a role in this Paris-Nice.
84th – Lieuwe Westra (Vacansoleil) was one of the revelations of this Paris-Nice. Attacking almost everyday, he staged a long break in the 5th stage to Vernoux-en-Vivarais and finished an excellent 6th in the time trial in Aix-en-Provence. “The Beast” stayed in contention for the polka-dot jersey until he gave up in the last stage.
More riders keep calling it a day: Lieuwe Westra (Vancasoliel) and Pierre Rolland (Europcar) are the last two.
Rewinding the GC, letour.fr stops on the riders who played a role in this Paris-Nice.
108th – Finnish champion Jussi Veikkanen (OLO) took the polka-dot jersey away from Damien Gaudin in the third stage.
90th – France’s Jeremy Roy (FDJ), who had broken with Jens Voigt (Leopard-Trek) and Thomas de Gendt (Vacansoleil) finished second in the first stage won by De Gendt.
Km 39 - The 11 lead the peloton by 1:15.
Jeremy Hunt (Team Sky) called it quits.
Rewinding the GC, letour.fr stops on the riders who played a role in this Paris-Nice.
133rd – France’s Damien Gaudin (Europcar) took the polka-dot jersey in the first stage around Houdan.
Tjallingii (Rabobank), Lloyd (Garmin-Cervelo), Ramussen (HTC-Highroad), VanSummeren (Garmin-Cervelo), Gaudin and Quemeneur (Europcar) just gave up.
The average speed in the first hour of the stage was 38.3 kph.
The 11 escapees are David Lopez-Garcia (Movistar), Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana), Matthew Busche (RadioShack), Matteo Carrara (Vancasoleil), Laurent Didier (Saxo Bank), Julien El Fares (Cofidis), Gorka Izagirre (Euskaltel), Diego Ulissi (Lampre), Remi Pauriol (FDJ), Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) and Linus Gerdemann (Leopard-Trek).
Km 37 - Gerdemann was caught by a group of 10 riders. Composition to follow... The bunch is 55 seconds behind.
After the climb, Linus Gerdemann (Leopard-Trek) surged. The German, a former Tour de France yellow jersey holder, is alone at the front.
1. Laurent Didier (Saxo Bank) 4 pts
2. Linus Gerdemann (Leopard-Trek) 2 pts
3. Julien El Fares (Cofidis) 1 pt
Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana) is also in the group of now 10 riders at the front.
Eight riders, including Voeckler, are now in the lead with one kilometre to go before the top of the Cote de Duranus (km 33.5).
Km 29 - Fourth stage winner Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) is alone in the lead. Last year, in the same stage, he was beaten on the line by Amael Moinard, who did not start today.
Jos Van Emden (Rabobank) called it quits.
Km 27 - The pack regrouped as the race nears the first climb of the day, the Cote de Duranus.
Km 25 - The eight chasers caught Grivko. The nine riders in the front lead the bunch by 10 seconds.
Km 24 - A group of eight riders parted company with the bunch and are chasing behind Grivko.
Spain’s Oscar Pujol (OLO) gave up.
1. Andriy Grivko (Astana) 3 seconds, 3 points
2. Heinrich Haussler (Garmin-Cervelo) 2 seconds, 2 points
3. Kristjan Koren (Liquigas) 1 second, 1 point.
The peloton 25 seconds behind.
Km 10 - Grivko leads the bunch by 20 seconds.
Km 5 - Grivko leads the peloton by eight seconds.
Ukraine’s Andriy Grivko (Astana) attacked from the gun and is alone in the lead.
The start was given at 11:39 to 135 riders.
Five riders do not start: Juan-Manuel Garate (Rabobank), Jurgen Van den Broeck (Omega Pharma Lotto), Robert Kiserlovski (Astana), Amael Moinard (BMC), Grega Bole (Lampre).
AG2R team manager Vincent Lavenu was relieved after his riders ended yesterday’s tricky stage relatively unscathed, even though Jean-Christophe Peraud, 5th overall, crashed like most of the peloton: “We managed it pretty well in the sense that Jean-Christophe retained his 5th place even though he dropped a few seconds (...) In the final stage, the goal is to keep this 5th place at worst, and maybe even better. Why not?”
Peraud has several bruises to the hip and the left knee and also hurt his elbows in his crash.
Europcar team manager Jean-Rene Bernaudeau knows the roads of Paris-Nice well and he forecast a potentially less dangerous stage today than yesterday: “The first rain is the most dangerous because it pours on dry terrain and is more slippery. It’s usually less slippery on the second rainy day,” he said. The roads in the Nice backcountry are even more treacherous as they are lined by mimosa trees which spill flowers on the tarmac: “Mimosa flowers are like oil,” said Bernaudeau. The Europcar team manager should know. In the 1981 Tour de France, he broke with Bernard Hinault and Charly Berard in a stage around Nice and the three escapees kept crashing and spilling: “I even crashed in climb!” he remembered.
In l’Equipe, race leader Tony Martin (THR) deplored the absence of the German press on this Paris-Nice: “There aren’t any journalists from my country here because cycling in Germany is still too shocked by the old doping scandals. It’s up to us, German riders, to restore our image, to bring more confidence.”
And the future of German cycling insisted: “I’m not the new Jan Ullrich.”
Amael Moinard, the winner on the Promenade des Anglais last year, is not in the same form as last year but he told local daily Nice-Matin of his expectations on a final stage he knows well: “The hills are shorter, but it should account for a more animated race. In the past, the bunch would relax at the top of the Col de la Porte. It shouldn’t be the case this time. It’ll be essential to be well-placed at the bottom of the climbs. Il will be an elimination race from the back,” he said.
The knowledge of the terrain should be a bonus: “It obviously helps. I will try my best to be in the front, but it will depend on my legs.”
Garmin-Cervelo manager Jonathan Vaughters confirmed on his Twitter page that Dutchman Martijn Maaskant (Garmin-Cervelo), who crashed in yesterday’s page, had broken ribs and would not race in Paris-Roubaix: Maaskant has 7 broken ribs. Report of collapsed lung are inaccurate. He’s ok, but isn’t going to race Roubaix. Very sad.
The yellow jersey remained on the back of Tony Martin (THR), who finished 5th in yesterday’s stage just behind fellow-German Andreas Kloeden, still in second place, 36 seconds behind. Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky) limited the damage, losing only three seconds to retain his third spot, 41 seconds adrift. Green jersey holder Heinrich Haussler (Garmin-Cervelo) spent a scary day on the road to Biot, crashing several times, yet he tightened his grip on the points standings, leading Kloeden by 20 points and Thomas de Gendt (Vacansoleil) by 21. In the best climber competition, Remi Pauriol (FDJ) is still in the lead, but nearest rival Lieuwe Westra (Vacansoleil) provided a strong challenge yesterday and is only 15 points behind the Frenchman. Estonian Rein Taaramae (Cofidis) is still wearing the white jersey. RadioShack lead the team classification.
Simon Gerrans (Team Sky) perfectly summed-up everybody’ views about the penultimate stage to Biot on his twitter page: Today was probably the hardest Paris-Nice stage I’ve ever raced.
Second-placed Andreas Kloeden (RadioShack) was among the many riders to crash in yesterday’s stage and he summed-up the day on his twitter page:
Today was a long & in the end a very hard Race. 20k to go i crashed in a corner but i was quickly back on the bike again. now the leg hurts.
Cote de Duranus (3rd cat, km 33.5), Col de Chateauneuf (2nd cat, km 55.5), Col de Calaison (2nd cat, km 70), La Turbie (1st cat, km 94), Col d’Eze (1st cat, km 108.5).
Plan du Var (Km 19), Le Col (Km 110.5)
Welcome on the 124-kms 8th and final stage of Paris-Nice around Nice.
