 The first wheels of the season began to turn for the riders of this 61st Paris-Nice and from the very beginning the pitch of this edition was evident. In the sun in Issy-les-Moulineaux, amid numerous spectators, the time-trial specialists had a field day. Emmanuel Magnien achieved a very good time with 5 minutes 56 seconds 40 which placed him in the vanguard before the passage of the star riders in the discipline. Behind him, Nicolas Jalabert and Cédric Vasseur both made clear their intentions, by winning respectively 2nd and 3rd places in the provisory classification.
However, the pitch quickly changed. Philippe Gaumont, of the Cofidis formation, took the lead in the provisory classification with more than four seconds ahead of Magnien. Just behind him, and in the same second, the Australian, Stuart O’Grady and the Swiss, Cancarella, confirmed that today’s victory would be an affair of specialists, whilst in the background, numerous favourites were growing impatient.
 Among them, the American, Tyler Hamilton of the CSC Team, Lance Armstrong’s former team mate, who arrived like a rocket. The verdict was without appeal : 5 minutes 49 seconds 95 and nearly 3 seconds ahead of Gaumont. A real performance that looked like total victory, until the Belgian Nico Mattan, winner of the 2001 prologue, launched himself. As soon as his feet touched the pedals, the Cofidis rider displayed a perfectly controlled aggressiveness and all of his talent was evident in the time-trials. In the end, a perfect time of 5 minutes 47 seconds 09 and 2 seconds ahead of Hamilton.
On the French side, the results of this time-trial were positive. Philippe Gaumont finished third, Sandy Casar eighth and Laurent Brochard ninth. Richard Virenque had to settle for hundredth place, but his ambitions are elsewhere. Among the competition favourites must be noted Alexander Vinokourov in tenth place, the winner last year in Nice, and the very interesting sixth place for the favourite, Dario Frigo.
Tomorrow, the pack will set off from Auxerre for Paray-le-Monial, for a first stage which will at last reveal the riders who are on form at this the beginning of the season. |
The first great meeting of the season, the 61st edition of Paris-Nice, promises to be a particularly refined edition, as much for the line-up of the riders as for the extremely selective route drawn up by Daniel Baal and Jean-François Pescheux, beginning with the prologue which gave rise to a very ferocious battle.
(yellow / white jersey)
(green / white jersey)
(Red Polka Dotted jersey)
(blue / white jersey)
(red dossard)
