Top 5 results in the 220-kms 6th stage of Paris-Nice between Manosque and Nice:

1. Sylvain Chavanel (France, OPQ)

2. Philippe Gilbert (Belgium, BMC)

3. Jose Joaquin Rojas (Spain, MOV)

4. Samuel Dumoulin (France, ALM)

5. Tony Gallopin (France, RLT)

France's Sylvain Chavanel (OPQ) wins the 220-kms 6th stage of Paris-Nice between Manosque and Nice. The Frenchman outsprinted Philippe Gilbert (BMC) and Jose Joaquin Rojas (MOV).

... and BMC riders lead with AG2R riders close by.

BMC and AG2R riders are coming to the front working for their fast men.

...and teams are starting to fight their way to the front for the final sprint.

World champion Philippe Gilbert (BMC) has been near the front since the junction and looks really strong.

... and the remainder of the bunch is gearing up for a sprint. Kiryikenka and Lopez Garcia still lead Richie Porte (SKY), with Andrew Talansky (GRS) on his heels followed by Lieuwe Westra (VCD).

The two Team Sky team-mates of Richie Porte have been in the reins since the junction nearly 20 kms ago.

... and two Team Sky riders keep leading the way.

... and Team Sky are back in control of the race, leading the bunch with Richie Porte safely in third spot.

Chavanel, Velits and Grivko were reeled in (km 190).

Chavanel and Velits (both OPQ) and Grivko (AST) continued their effort after the sprint and lead the peloton by five seconds in Vence (km 189.5)

Result of the sprint in Tourrettes-sur-Loup (km 185.5)

1. Peter Velits (OPQ) 3 points, 3 seconds

2. Andryi Grivko (AST) 2 points, 2 seconds

3. Sylvain Chavanel (OPQ) 1 point, 1 sec

The peloton is in Tourrettes-sur-Loup, host of a Paris-Nice stage in 2010, won by the late Xavier Tondo.

Warren Barguil (ARG) attacked on the junction while Michel Scarponi (LAM) has been dropped on a puncture and is struggling to return in the bunch.

Km 181 - The five have just been caught by the peloton.

... to seven seconds now between the five and the peloton led by Team Sky riders. Euskaltel riders keep trying to attack in vain.

Km 180 - Simon Clarke (OGE), who tried to break on his own, is now back in the leading group, but Egor Silin is no longer. The peloton are 18 seconds adrift.

On roads made slippery by the rain which fell all morning, Gorka Ferdugo (EUS) also crashed.

Km 165 - Only 17 seconds left for the six on a peloton led by BMC riders in the descent.

Team Sky and Euskaltel riders are leading the way at the front of the bunch while world champion Philippe Gilbert is also in the leading ranks. The pack is 35 seconds adrift.

Wilco Kelderman (BLA) crashed in the descent.

Simon Clarke (OGE), Arnold Jeannesson (FDJ), Johann Tschopp (IAM), Romain Bardet (ALM), Eduard Vorganov (KAT) and Egor Silin (AST) lead the peloton by 40 seconds (Km 158).

The overall average speed after four hours in the stage was 39.1 kph.

Having scored ten more points on Col du Ferrier (km 148.5), Johann Tschopp (IAM) will keep his polka-dot jersey if he finishes today.

Result on the 1st category Col du Ferrier (Km 148.5)

1. Tschopp 10 points

2. Clarke 8 pts

3. Silin 6 pts

4. Bardet 4 pts

5. Jeannesson 3. pts

6. Vorganov 2 pts

7. Siutsov 1 pt
The peloton one minute adrift. 

Brent Bookwalter (BMC), Borut Bozic (AST) and Jerome Pineau (OPQ) have been dropped by the leaing group.

Rein Taaramae (COF) is struggling at the back of the peloton in Col du Ferrier.

Silin has been dropped by the leading group after a mechancial. Eight men in the lead with a 1:20 lead over the bunch.

Result on the 1st category Cote de Cabris (Km 138.5)

1. Tschopp 10 points

2. Jeannesson 8 pts

3. Bookwalter 6 pts

4. Bozic 4 pts

5. Silin 3 pts

6. Pineau 2 pts

7. Vorganov 1 pt

Peloton 1:55  adrift.

In Cabris, Julien El Fares (SOJ) has also been dropped by the leading group. Only nine men are left in the break, leading the peloton by 2:15 one kilometre from the summit.

Australia's Mark Renshaw (BLA) has given up.

Three riders from the Basque outfit lead the peloton, trailing the break by 2:20 (Km 133).

Among the several riders dropped by the peloton at the foot of the Cote de Cabris are David Millard (GRS) and Mark Renshaw (BLA).

Gatis Smukulis (KAT) is no longer in the break. He was dropped in the first part of the 1st category Cote de Cabris. Only ten men left in the lead.

The average speed in the third hour of the stage was 39.6 kph for an overall average speed of 42 kph.

Km 120 - The gap between the 11 escapees and the peloton is stable at 3:10.

Result on 3rd category Cote du Mont Meaulx (Km 103)

1. Clarke 4 points

2. Bozic 2 points

3. El Fares 1 point

The peloton, led by the whole Team Sky, is 3:35 adrift.

Winner in Nice last year, Thomas de Gendt (VCD) also abandoned.

Robert Gesink (BLA), Yoann Offredo (FDJ) and Andrey Zeits (AST) took advantage of the feeding (km 91) zone to give up.

At the top of Cote des Tuilieres (km 87.5), Simon Clarke (OGE) Egor Silin (AST), Gatis Smukulis (KAT), Eduard Vorganov (KAT),  Brent Bookwalter (BMC), Arnold Jeannesson (FDJ), Julien El Fares (SOJ), Borut Bozic (AST), Jerome Pineau (OPQ), Romain Bardet (ALM) and  Johann Tschopp (IAM) led the peloton by 3:50.

Result in Cote des Tuilieres (2nd cat.)

1. Tschopp 7 points

2. Pineau 5 points

3. Bozic 3 points

4. Bookwalter 2 points

5. Clarke 1 point

The race is in 2nd category Cote des Tuilieres (top at Km 87.5) and the 11 lead the main pack by 3:35.

The break covered 43.4 kms in the second hour of the stage. The overall average speed was 42.7 kph.

The peloton is in Draguignan (km 81.5) 3:35 behind the eleven-man break. Eight Paris-Nice stages finished in Draguignan between 1965 and1977. From 1978 to 1982, hosted the town hosted the Criterium International. Draguignan hosted a Tour de France stage in 2000 and is a regular fixture of the Tour du Haut Var.

Result of the first intermediate sprint in Flayosc (Km 76.5)

1. Bozic 3 points, 3 secs

2. Smukulis 2 points, 2 secs

3. Bardet 1 point, 1 sec

Km 64 - The eleven escapees lead the peloton by three minutes.

Km 58: Simon Clarke (OGE) Egor Silin (AST), Gatis Smukulis (KAT), Eduard Vorganov (KAT),  Brent Bookwalter (BMC), Arnold Jeannesson (FDJ), Julien El Fares (SOJ), Borut Bozic (AST), Jerome Pineau (OPQ), Romain Bardet (ALM) and polka-dot jersey holder Johann Tschopp (IAM) lead the peloton by 2:50.   

Andreas Klier (GRS) has called it quits.

Km 50 - The eleven escapees lead the peloton by 2:40.

Km 44 - The eleven escapees lead the peloton by 2:30.

In Nice-Matin, Christophe Le Mevel (COF), who lived in the area, gave his views about the day's stage:
"It's not a very tricky stage Like last year, a break could go all the way (victory by De Gendt). But even though there are hills on the course, we could have a sprint finish. We're a little more than a week away from Milan-San Remo and the sprinters are going to gauge themselves on the hills on a long distance (220 kms). I can see a grouped finish, but not a bunch sprint for there...

Km 36 - Simon Clarke (OGE) Egor Silin (AST), Gatis Smukulis (KAT), Eduard Vorganov (KAT),  Brent Bookwalter (BMC), Arnold Jeannesson (FDJ), Julien El Fares (SOJ), Borut Bozic (AST), Jerome Pineau (OPQ), Romain Bardet (ALM) and Johann Tschopp (IAM) lead the peloton by 1:15.

Vacansoleil-DCM ‏@VacansoleilDCM
Last year ‪#thomasdegendt‬ won the Saturday stage to Nice, he will be someone to watch again today. ‪#parisnice‬

Egor Silin @ Egsilin
Third day of rain, soon we'll grow gills…

Leigh Howard ‏@leighhoward1
1 big day left, 220km's into Nice. 'Hopefully' a bunch kick again so we can give it another crack!

Km 25 - The eleven lead the peloton by 50 seconds. Jeannesson (FDJ) is the best placed escapee. He lies 20th, 1:49 behind Richier Porte.

Nine riders joined Silin and Vorganov in the lead. The first fap with the peloton is 11 seconds. Points to note: polka-dot jersey holder Johann Tschopp (IAM) is in the break and so is green jersey contender Borut Bozic (AST). 

Km 12 - The 11 riders in the lead are Simon Clarke (OGE) Egor Silin (AST), Gatis Smukulis (KAT), Eduard Vorganov (KAT),  Brent Bookwalter (BMC), Arnold Jeanneson (FDJ), Julien El Fares (SOJ), Borut Bozic (AST), Jerome Pineau (OPQ), Romain Bardet (ALM), Johann Tschopp (IAM) 

Km 11 - The pair have been joined by five chasers. Seven men in the lead.

Two Russians have parted with the peloton in the descent: Egor Silin (AST) and Eduard Vorganov (KAT).

Result on the 3rd category Cote du Bois de Rousset (Km 6.5)

1. Egor Silin (AST) 4 pts

2. Johann Tschopp (IAM) 2 pts

3. Hubert Dupont  (ALM)1 pt

Johann Tschopp (IAM) retained his polka-dot jersey in the stage to Montagne de Lure but is now under direct threat from France's Thierry Hupond (ARG), who collected most points in a long break in stage 5. Hupond is seven points behind the Swiss while Richie Porte (SKY) and Thomas Voeckler (EUC) are level in third place, 14 points behind. With 34 points up for grabs on stage 6, the climber's classification is one of the most undecided.

Andrew Talansky (GRS) lost the overall lead but retained two of the three jerseys he held after stage 4, including the best young rider's. For the white jersey, he still leads compatriot Tejay van Garderen (BMC) by 20 seconds and Italian Diego Ulissi (LAM) by 22.

Andrew Talansky (GRS) earned the green jersey as a consolation prize for losing the yellow. The American leads Italian sprinter Elia Viviani (CAN) by six points and France's Sylvain Chavanel (OPQ) by 11 points.

Richie Porte (SKY) took both the stage laurels and the yellow jersey at the top of Montagne de Lure to place himself ideally to become the first Australian winner of Paris-Nice (but not the first Australian race leader since Allan Peiper in 1985 or Matt Goss in 2011 already wore the leader's jersey). Porte took the garment off Andrew Talansky (GRS), who now trails him by 32 seconds while Lieuwe Westra (VCD), the runner-up to Bradley Wiggins last year, lies third,  42 seconds adrift.

Km 6.5: Cote du Bois de Rousset (3rd cat.)
Km 87.5: Cote des Tuilieres (2nd cat.)
Km 103: Cote du Mont Meaulx (3rd cat.)
Km 138.5: Cote de Cabris (1st cat.)
Km 148.5: Col du Ferrier (1st cat.)

Km 76.5: Flayosc
Km 185.5: Tourrettes-sur-Loup

Welcome on the 220-kms 6th stage of Paris-Nice between Manosque and Nice.

The actual start was given at 11:32 to 163 riders. Francis De Greef (LTB) and Alexis Vuillermoz (SOJ) did not start.