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Paris - Nice 2015: Stage 4

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Live coverage of stage 4 of Paris-Nice, 204 kilometres from Varennes-sur-Allier to the Croix de Chaubouret.

97km remaining from 204km

The trio forged clear inside the opening five kilometres and quickly established a substantial lead. By the day's first climb, the category three Cote de Rigon, they had an advantage of 7:15 over the bunch.

De Gendt led Duschesne and Sørensen over both the Cheval Rigon and the Col du Beau Louis, and after 50 kilometres, the gap stood at 8 minutes.

88km remaining from 204km

The six climbs still to come are the category 3 Côte de Saint-Bonnet-les-Oules (2.8km-long at an average gradient of 3.7%); the category 3 Côte de Saint-Héand (1km at 5.1%), the category 2 Côte de La Gimond (1.8km at 6.5%); the category 2 Col de la Gachet (5km at 4.4%), the category 3 Côte de la Croix Blanche (1.8km at 4.9%) and then the final haul to the finish atop the category 1 Croix de Chaubouret (10km at 6.7%).

80km remaining from 204km

Aru was lying 62nd overall and 34 seconds down this morning, but today's stage ought to bring some definition to the general classification and see the contenders for final victory come to the fore. The upper reaches of GC looked like this after yesterday's stage:

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De Gendt leads the break over the top of the climb to edge closer to divesting his fellow countryman Philippe Gilbert of the polka dot jersey.

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Chris Anker Sørensen triggers a diplomatic incident by trying to pip De Gendt to the points atop the Côte de La Gimond. De Gendt holds him off, but he turns, glowers and then accelerates as the descent begins by way of retribution.

There's been an injection of pace of sorts in the main peloton, and some riders are already being jettisoned off the back on the Côte de La Gimond. There is scope for them to latch back on over the top, but it's an ill augury for what is to follow.

Philippe Gilbert (BMC) clips off the front of the peloton to pick up the points for fourth place over the top of the climb, though he looks destined to lose that polka dot jersey to De Gendt this afternoon.

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46km remaining from 204km

Ag2r-La Mondiale's race has been wholly overshadowed by Lloyd Mondory's positive test for EPO in an out of competition test, the squad's third doping case in little more than two years. Ahead of yesterday's stage, Samuel Dumoulin - son-in-law of team manager Vincent Lavenu - read a statement on behalf of his teammates outside the Ag2r bus, while the team's management has also been explaining its own internal testing programme, which it had reintroduced in 2013.

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Lotto-Soudal are very active in helping Tinkoff-Saxo at the head of that second peloton, suggesting that Tim Wellens and Tony Gallopin were also caught on the wrong foot.

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Michael Matthews (Orica-GreenEdge), meanwhile, looks very comfortable in the yellow jersey, tucked in just behind the Ag2r squad. Matthews, of course, won atop Montecassino at the Giro d'Italia last year, but in theory the 10km-long Croix de Chaubouret ought to be too tough for him to hang on.

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Cannondale-Garmin, Sky and Astana are all well-placed near the head of the bunch in support of Talansky, Aru and Richie Porte, respectively.

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More and more riders are being shed from the back of the bunch, with Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis) and Bryan Coquard (Europcar) among those to sit up. Majka is still battling his way back up to the bunch, which seems to be constantly just around the next corner.

De Gendt leads over the top of the Gachet to further pad out his virtual lead in the mountains classification.

Gilbert leads the peloton over the top, 1:30 behind, before swinging over and allowing Ag2r to take up the reins once again. A delegation from Movistar has also moved towards the front over the summit of the Gachet.

Next on the agenda for the two escapees is the category 3 Côte de la Croix Blanche (1.8km at 4.9%), before an intermediate sprint at Saint-Chamond that will pay tribute to the late, Andrey Kivilev, who was tragically killed after crashing there during the 2003 edition of Paris-Nice.

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Etixx-QuickStep take command of the peloton on the descent of the Croix Blanche, with world champion Michal Kwiatkowski perched comfortably in third wheel.

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Philippe Gilbert has been sprinting for third place at the mountains primes all afternoon, and perhaps out of habit as much as out of ambition, he does the same at the sprint at Saint-Chamond. The bunch is now just 25 seconds behind Sorensen and De Gendt.

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BMC directeur sportif Yvon Ledanois told us last week that Rohan Dennis would not be in the overall shake up at this edition of Paris-Nice and so it proves. The world hour record holder is dropped from the peloton as the pace continues to ratchet upwards ahead of the final climb.

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It's a nervous peloton at the foot of the climb and Warren Barguil (Giant-Shimano) is a faller. The Breton appeared to be taken out by Nelson Oliveira and he sits on the roadside awaiting treatment.

Ag2r-La Mondiale set the tempo at the base of the climb, and Rafal Majka is among the riders distanced on the early slopes.

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Majka, meanwhile, seems to have blown completely. The Pole has been distanced from the peloton and is making his way up the climb in installments.

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Richie Porte, Geraint Thomas, Tejay van Garderen and Fabio Aru are all well-placed near the front, following Nordhaug's pace-making.

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Michal Kwiatkowski was just one second off Matthews this morning and as it stands, he is poised to regain the yellow jersey - though, there are, of course, another six kilometres of climbing still to come.

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5km remaining from 204km

Nordhaug swings over and now Nicolas Roche takes up the baton for Team Sky. Jakob Fuglsang and Aru sit just behind them, followed by Kwiatkowski. Rui Costa, Tim Wellens and Tejay van Garderen are also placed near the front.

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Roche's shoulders are beginning to rock but others are suffering more - Talansky and Wilco Kelderman are losing contact at the back.

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Fuglsang comes across to Thomas, and this Astana-Sky tandem has a small lead over the lone chaser Simon Spilak (Katusha).

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Tejay van Garderen (BMC) sets off in pursuit of the leaders, tracking a move from Ruben Fernandez (Movistar), Then, bizarrely, Fenandez looks over his shoulder and falls off, losing all hopes of a big result.

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There are ten riders or so in that van Garderen group and they are struggling to strike a working agreement. This is good news for Thomas, Spilak and Fuglsang, who are collaborating well.

1km remaining from 204km

1km remaining from 204km

Porte keeps going on reaching the leaders. The only man who can follow his pace-setting is Geraint Thomas, and the two Sky men are pulling away, seemingly in a race of their own,

Porte and Thomas have opened a sizeable lead. The men in black won't be brought back.

Richie Porte wins stage 4 of Paris-Nice ahead of his Sky teammate Geraint Thomas.

Michal Kwiatkowski takes third place, 8 seconds down.

Fuglsang came home in fourth alongside Kwiatkowski, while van Garderen came home in fifth, 17 seconds down. Rui Costa led home a group featuring Aru, Rafael Valls and Tony Gallopin that crossed the line 24 seconds down.

Michal Kwiatkowski moves back into the yellow jersey, just one second ahead of Richie Porte and three up on Thomas. Van Garderen lies in 4th overall, some 27 seconds back.

Result:

General classification after stage 4:

1 Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Etixx - Quick-Step 19:44:11
2 Richie Porte (Aus) Team Sky 0:00:01
3 Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky 0:00:03
4 Tejay Van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team 0:00:27
5 Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana Pro Team 0:00:32
6 Tony Gallopin (Fra) Lotto Soudal 0:00:38
7 Rui Costa (Por) Lampre-Merida 0:00:41
8 Gorka Izagirre (Spa) Movistar Team 0:00:44
9 Tiago Machado (Por) Team Katusha 0:00:50
10 Rafael Valls Ferri (Spa) Lampre-Merida 0:00:51

Thanks for following our live coverage of Paris-Nice this afternoon. You can keep up with the final kilometres of today's stage at Tirreno-Adriatico here. We'll be back with more live coverage from Paris-Nice tomorrow, but before that you can read a full account of today's pivotal stage here.

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