Key moments

16:25 - Top five placings

Top five placings: 
1. Gianni Meersman (LTB)
2. Grega Bole (LAM)
3. Lieuwe Westra (VCD)
4. Xavier Florencio (KAT)
5. Jonathan Ivert (SAU)

16:23 - Meersman wins the 4th stage

Belgium’s Gianni Meersman (LTB) wins the 178-kms fourth stage between Brive-la-Gaillarde and Rodez.

16:22 - Kloeden caught

500 metres to go and Kloeden has been caught.

16:21 - Red flame

and Kloeden is still in the lead!

16:21 - Kloeden attacks

Kloeden (RNT) attacks on the last hill. He reaches the top in first place, ahead or Rojas and Valverde.

16:20 - Two kms to go

and Jose Joaquin Rojas leads the way for Valverde and Wiggins.

16:19 - Wiggins in Valerde’s wheel

Bradley Wiggins decided to stick in Valverde’s wheel.

16:16 - 3 kms to go

and Movistar riders take the reins. Valverde is here again.

16:15 - Gerrans crashes

Simon Gerrans crashed with 7 kms to go. He is back on his bike but looks a little stunned.

16:13 - De Gendt caught

With 7 kms to go, De Gendt was caught by four chasing riders, then by the peloton.

16:11 - De Gendt holds

De Gendt keeps trying. Still 12 secs with 8 kms to go.

16:10 - Team Sky chase

Team Sky are now leading the peloton, 10 seconds behind De Gendt. 

16:08 - 10 kms to go

and Thomas De Gendt (VCD) leads the peloton by 10 seconds.

16:08 - De Gendt goes

Thomas De Gendt (VCD) now leads the bunch by 20 seconds with 13 kms to go.

16:06 - Results on cote d’Albert le Cres (3rd cat, km 163.5)

1. De Gendt (VCD) 4 pts
2. Moreno (MOV) 2 
3. Veuchelen (VCD) 1

16:02 - De Gendt attacks

Thomas De Gendt (VCD) will lose his polka-dot jersey in Rodez but still attacks to finish first on top of Cote d’Aubert le Cres (km 163.5).

16:01 - Boonen dropped

In Cote d’Aubert le Cres (km 161), Tom Boonen (OPQ) and Ivan Basso (LIQ) were dropped.

15:55 - The tempo raises

Omega Pharma Quick Step riders just seized the reins of the pack and the tempo raises significantly.

15:54 - 20 kms to go

and the break is over.

15:51 - Crash at the back

A crash at the back held David Arroyo (MOV), Blel Kadri (AG2R) and Guillaume Levarlet (SAU).

15:49 - Four men in the lead

Mate has now been caught by the pack. Fedrigo, Peraud, Howard and De Clercq now lead by 35 seconds.

15:43 - 25 kms to go

and the gap between the break and the peloton has been cut down to 40 seconds. Luis Angel Mate stops to wait for the peloton. He seems to suffer from pain in the knee.

15:35 - 30 kms to go

and the lead of Fedrigo, Peraud, De Clercq, Howard and Mate is now down to 1:10.

15:34 - Latest gap

Km 142 - On the sprint line, the peloton trailed the break by 1:20. 

15:30 - Results of the sprint in St Cyprien (km 142)

1. Howard 3 pts, 3 secs
2. De Clercq 2 pts, 2 secs
3. Fedrigo 1 pt, 1 sec.

15:22 - 40 kms to go

and the lead of the five escapees is still 1:30.

15:15 - The peloton are nearing

Km 131 - Still led by Rabobank riders, the pack is now 1:30 behind the five escapees.

15:09 - 50 kms to go

and the lead of the five escapees is 1:55.

15:07 - Mate the lynx

Luis Angel Mate is nicknamed "the Andalusian lynx".

15:05 - Lampre help Rabobank chase

The Lampre now join Rabobank in the chase, perhaps working for Damiano Cunego.

14:59 - Mate goes for polka-dot jersey

But the Spaniard has not yet won it. He has 18 points but De Clercq, on 12, can still catch him with two 3rd cat. climbs left before we reach Rodez.

14:51 - Gap keeps going down

Km 113 - Fedrigo, Peraud, Howard, De Clercq and Mate now only lead the peloton by 2:15.

14:36 - Results on Cote de Quotidiane (km 108, 2nd cat)

1. Luis Angel Mate (COF) seven points
2. Bart De Clercq (LTB) five points
3. Leigh Howard (GEC) 3 pts
4. Pierrick Fedrigo (FDJ) 2 pts
5. Jean-Christophe Peraud (AG2R) 1 point
Peloton 2:40 behind.

14:34 - Pineau: "We’re not giving up"

FDJ team director Franck Pineau told www.letour.fr it was good to see Fedrigo back in a break after his hard season last year with the Lyme disease:
"Pierrick is a rider with ups and downs who works on morale. But he still won some 20 races and his qualities are still there and we trust him. It’s good for him to ride at the front today. He feels well or else he wouldn’t be here. It will be hard for the break as the Rabobank are chasing for Sanchez and they probably could have made it back earlier it they wanted. But we won’t give up!"

14:27 - Results on the Cote de Blanquie (km 100.5, 3rd cat):

1. Luis Angel Mate (COF) three points
2. Bart De Clercq (LTB) two points
3. Jean-Christophe Peraud (AG2R) one point

14:26 - Latest gap

Km 95 - Fedrigo, Peraud, Mate, De Clercq and Howard lead the peloton by 3:25.

14:08 - The race in Maurs

Km 95 - Maurs was the finish of a Paris-Nice stage in 2007 and the start of a stage to Mende in 2010.

14:00 - Second hour average speed

The average speed for the second hour of the stage was 34.7 kph. The overall average speed was 39.8 kph. 

13:42 - The break in the feeding zone

The five escapees are in the feeding zone, 100 kms from the finish line.

13:40 - Latest gap

Km 64 - The five now lead the bunch by 3:10.

13:37 - Results on the Cote de Fangas (km 62, 2n cat):

1. Luis Angel Mate (COF) seven points
2. Bart De Clercq (LTB) five points
3. Jean-Christophe Peraud (AG2R) three points
4. Pierrick Fedrigo (FDJ) 2 pts
5. Leigh Howard (GEC) 1 pt

13:16 - Van Houwelingen: "LL Sanchez has a good chance today"

Adri Van Houwelingen told www.letour.fr why the Rabos were chasing behind the break.
"If the break had a ten minute lead, it would be up to Team Sky to chase, but since it’s not the case, we decided to neutralise the break because we think Luis-Leon Sanchez can obtain a good result today. The GC is out of the question so Paris-Nice for us now is a classic everyday. Luis-Leon is in great form as he showed yesterday but there was not frustration at finishing 4th behind Valverde and Gerrans. Sometimes you must accept that you’re beaten by stronger riders. You just hope that it will be different the next day."

13:09 - Peloton reacts

Km 50 - The peloton, led by the Rabobank, raises the tempo. The gap is now down to 3:40.

13:07 - Average speed

The average speed in the first hour of the race was 44.9 kph.

13:01 - Gap goes down

Km 43 - The gap goes down to 4:05.

12:59 - Howard’s profile

Leigh Howard (GEC), 22, is one of the most gifted track riders around with four world titles behind him. His road record should progress quickly.

12:56 - De Clercq’s profile

After losing two of his team-mates today, De Clercq is seeking consolation for his Lotto-Belisol team. At 25, he won a Giro stage last year.

12:54 - Mate’s profile

Luis Angel Mate, 27, won a Route du Sud stage in Pau last year for his first season with Cofidis.

12:53 - Peraud out for revenge

Jean-Christophe Peraud (AG2R) is probably out for revenge after missing the decisive break on stage 2. He finished in the top 10 in Paris-Nice in the last two years.

12:45 - Fedrigo inspired by today’s roads

The region inspires Pierrick Fedrigo, who won the Tour du Limousin twice, in 2004 and 2007 and Paris-Correze in 2002 in Brive. The FDJ rider, affected by a virus last season, also won three Tour de France stages.

12:35 - Gap increases

Km 29 - The five now lead the peloton by 5:20.

12:33 - De Clercq the best placed overall

Of the five men in the break, Bart De Clercq is the best placed overall. The Lotto-Belisol rider lies 103th, 11:24 behind Bradley Wiggins.

12:28 - Gap still goes up

Km 21 - Fedrigo, Peraud, Mate Mardones, De Clercq and Howard now lead the peloton by four minutes.

12:23 - The five are gone now

Km 18 - The peloton now let the five go. The gap goes up to 1:20.

12:23 - Gap increases

Km 14 - The five now lead the peloton by 30 seconds.

12:21 - 27 nations in the race

The 173 riders still in the race belong to 27 nations. France is the
stronger contingent (40), followed by Belgium and Spain (22).
France: 40
Belgium: 20 (-Kaisen and Bakelants)
Spain: 22
Italy: 15
Germany: 12
Netherlands: 10 (-Posthuma)
Australia: 9 (-Hansen)
United States: 5 (-Phinney)
Denmark: 5
Russia: 3 (-Isaichev)
Belarus, Slovenia : 3
Britain, Kazakhstan, Norway, Poland, Switzerland: 2
Brazil, Colombia, Croatia, Estonia, Ireland, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Uzbekistan, Sweden: 1

12:17 - In the press today (3)

Local paper Centre Presse says Rodez is hoping to host a stage in the 2013 Tour de France: "The town’s participation to Paris-Nice, the Tour de France antechamber , is not foreign to this objective," the paper says.

12:16 - Latest gap

Km 10 - The five lead the peloton by 17 seconds.

12:10 - Five men in the lead

Km 6 - Pierrick Fedrigo (FDJ), Jean-Christophe Peraud (AG2R), Leigh Howard (GEC), Luis Mate Mardones (COF) and Bart De Clercq (LTB) have parted company with the main bunch.

12:08 - Vain attempt by Di Gregorio

Remy Di Gregorio (COF), winner of a stage last year in Biot, was the first man to attack today. He was quickly reined in.

12:04 - In the press today (2)

Also in l’Equipe, Movistar team director Yvon Ledanois said he never doubted Alejandro Valverde’s prompt return to his best level.
"He always did his homework. He’s a true champion. In his 18 months lay-off, he always kept in mind that he had to stay competitive. He has great class and a great sense of professionalism. We’ll see how he does in the next two stages before thinking about the GC. A stage win is already enormous satisfaction."

11:57 - Start given

The start was given to 167 riders at 12:01.

11:54 - 167 riders at the start

167 riders are at the start. It is confirmed that Bakelants, Posthuma (RNT), Phinney (BMC), Hansen and Kaisen (LTB) are not starting.

11:52 - In the press today (1)

In l’Equipe, Levi Leipheimer makes it clear he is targeting the last day’s time trial on Col d’Eze.
"I’m going to try and stay in the same time as the favourites and try my best in the next few days, especially for the Mende finish, which is not my specialty. I will try to save some energy for the Col d’Eze TT, which should be my strength."

11:50 - Phinney sorry

Taylor Phinney says on his Twitter profile how sorry he is not to be starting today: "Really down... This stomach bug has taken everything out of me. I hate
quitting more than anything but have to look out for my body."

11:47 - Kaisen also ill

Olivier Kaisen (LTB) is suffering from a cold and does not start, according to team Lotto.

11:46 - Jersey holders

The yellow jersey is still on the back of Bradley Wiggins (SKY), who leads Levi Leipheimer (OPQ) by six seconds and Tejay Van Garderen (BMC) by eleven seconds.
His victory in yesterday’s stage helped Alejandro Valverde (MOV) seize the points classification green jersey with a three points lead over Wiggins and a four points lead over Belgium’s Tom Boonen, winner of the second stage in Orleans.
The polka-dot jersey remained the property of Belgian Thomas De Gendt on six points ahead of Valverde and Roy Curvers (PRO), both on four points.
Van Garderen will still ride today in the white jersey with a 3:01 lead over Team Sky’s Rigoberto Uran.

11:46 - Climbs of the day

Km 60 - Cote de Fangas (2nd cat)
Km 100.5 - Cote de Blanquie (3rd cat)
Km 108 - Cote de Quotidiane (2nd cat)
Km 163.5 - Cote d’Aubert le Crès (3rd cat)
Km 176 - Cote de Bourran (3rd cat)

11:45 - Sprint of the day

Km 142 - St Cyprien sur Dourdou.

11:44 - Gastroenteritis in the peloton

Gastroenteritis is affecting the peloton. Apparently, Jan Bakelants and Joost Posthuma, both RNT, and Taylor Phinney are sick and not starting while Adam Hansen (LTB) suffers from bronchitis.

11:42 - Welcome on the 4th stage

Welcome on the 178-kms 4th stage of Paris-Nice between Brive-la-Gaillarde and Rodez.

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