As it happened: Selective stage 5 of Paris-Nice won by solo attack
A day of sharp, steep hills to Colombier-le-Vieux features over 3,000 metres of elevation
Hello and welcome to stage five of Paris-Nice!
With over 3,000 metres elevation gain, today has more climbing than any other stage
There isn’t a single standout category one challenge, but with multiple hills spread out across over 200km, this is going to be a very attritional test.
When designing this stage, and the overall route of this year’s Paris-Nice, the organisers probably expected things to remain tight and open at the top of the GC. They couldn't have anticipated what would happen on yesterday’s stage four, where foul weather exploded the race, and now there are only three riders within five minutes of the overall leader.
The consequence of that stage means that it appears the race for GC at Paris-Nice has already come down to a two horse race, between leader Jonas Vingegaard, and the man 52 seconds behind him on GC, Dani Martínez. But the nature of the parcours and conditions here means that plenty more twists and turns could yet lie ahead, and, with so many people now so far down on GC, there will surely be a big appetite for attacking, that could engineer some chaotic racing.
We shouldn’t expect the carnage of yesterday’s stage, for one primary reason - the weather. The sun is back out again and the rain has ceased, which will make for a much more pleasant and less hazardous day in the saddle.
The riders are moving through the neutralised zone. Given the nature of the parcours, and just how few riders and teams are now competing for GC, you can expect a big battle to get into the day's break right from the flag.
The peloton waiting at the start, enjoying the blue sky.
The peloton is a little lighter than that which finished yesterday’s stage. Three more riders have abandoned overnight - sprinters Pascal Ackermann and Casper van Uden, now surely run out of stage win opportunities, plus Toms Skujiņš, who endured a rough day yesterday.
After all the drama yesterday, and the additional dropouts this morning, we’re left with just 134 riders in the peloton.
A Jayco-AlUla rider has made an attack.
The Australian team has been aggressive throughout this Paris-Nice, and continue to be so despite (now that Ackermann has also pulled out) having lost more riders than any other team.
There's now a group of riders leading the race, but only with a small lead over a peloton not willing to let them go.
A familiar sight - Jonas Vingegaard back in the yellow jersey.
The Jayco rider who attacekd earlier was Robert Donaldson, but he did not manage to get away.
Arthur Kluckers of Tudor is the lastest rider to try and get away.
Kluckers was out there for a couple of kilometres, but has been brought back.
King of the Moiuntains Casper Pedersen was part of a small group that also tried to go clear a little earlier, but were't allowed to. It's important that he ends up in the day's break if he's to stay in the polka-dot jersey.
We also have live coverage of today's Tirreno-Adriatico stage, where, unlike here in France, a breakaway has managed to form.
It's been announced that Quentin Pacher has abandoned the race, becomming the first Groupama-FDJ rider to drop out.
Correction - Pacher is on the attack, while Pavel Sivakov is the rider to abandon.
Pacher has a bit of a gap, just over 10 seconds, but will likely need support from others if he's to stand a chance of staying out there.
He didn't, and Pacher is already back in the peloton.
Here's Pavel Sivakov, just before abandoning the race.
The first hour has passed, and it's been raced at a rapid pace, with over 50km ridden already.
Jonas Vingegaard at the start today, looking more dapper than he did in the rain yesterday. His eccentric choice of attire became a talking point yesterday.
Jasha Sütterlin and Stefan Bissegger are the latet riders to try their luck, and have a lead of about 15 seconds.
Sütterlin and Bissegger and the peloton close behind are approaching the foot of the first climb of the day, the category three Côte de Lentilly. There are sterner tests to come, but this could help a definitive break form.
Two riders have joined Bissegger and Sütterlin. This is starting to look like a promising break.
Scratch that, it wasn’t so promising after all - all four have now been caught.
The fast pace being set on this climb is seeing riders dropped out of the back, including sprinters Phil Bauhaus and Milan Fretin.
There's a problem here for David Gaudu, who is out the back of the peloton. He has a couple of teammates with him to help pace him.
This could be a significant development, as Gaudu started the day in fifth overall having done well in the rain yesterday.
Vlasov pushed on after cresting the climb first, and a few other riders have joined. They're trying to form a breakaway.
Tarling, Cavagna, Prodhomme and Cepeda are the four riders who have clipped clear with Vlasov.
That quintet has a lead of eight seconds for now.
With riders as powerful as time trial specialists Tarling and Cavagna, this group could have a decent chance of at last making the elastic snap, especially as the upcoming kilometres are mostly flat and rolling, before the hills of the finale.
Their lead is indeed growing, now up to 20 seconds.
Over a minute now for the five leaders. There are also some chasers in between them and the peloton, but they're still much closer to the peloton for now.
Meanwhile, Gaudu's problems continue. He's still 15 seconds behind the peloton, despite having teammates Johan Jacobs and Clément Russo to assist him.
Having looked so good yesterday, we can only imagine that Gaudu was suffering from some kind of illness, perhaps as an effect of the horrible weather conditions yesterday. Either way, it's a bitter disappointment as the Frenchman appeared to be coming into some of his best form for a while.
The five men up the road, who have formed the day's break.
Another surprise now as Georg Steinhauser, the man up to third on GC yesterday after an exceptional performance, has also found himself distanced out the back of the peloton.
Some EF teammates have dropped back to try and help make up the 10 second deficit he has to the peloton.
Steinhauser is back in the bunch, as are multiple other riders who were pulled along by his EF Education-EasyPost teammates.
They're approaching the second climb of the day, the Côte de Trèves. At 2.4km, it's as long as the previous effort, but a little steeper at 5.5%.
Now the race has settled down a little, it seems a good time to reflect on yesterday’s dramatic stage.
The leaders are on the climb now, as is the peloton, 1:30 behind.
Ivan Romeo and Lorenzo Milesi has attacked out of the peloton on the climb.
Visma-Lease a Bike pulling at the front of the peloton. Given the hilly finale, and the uphill finish, might they be eyeing up a second successive stage win.
Romeo and his Movistar teammate Milesi are going very well. They're already just 20 seconds behind the leaders.
Victor Campanaerts is also in the move with the two Movistar riders.
The trio have joined the leaders! So we now have a very strong looking group of eight up the road.
Here were the three chasers, before they joined up to the five leaders.
That was a great move by Movistar, who now have leader Iván Romeo in the break, accompanied by two teammates - the man who helped him get there, Lorenzo Milesi, and the man who was already up the road, Jefferson Cepeda.
Having been dumped far out of GC contention yesterday, Romeo has the freedom to chase stage wins, and this kind of parcours should suit him nicely.
There are no threats to GC in the lead group, with Cavagna the highest ranked in 23rd at 15:05.
The eight riders leading the race.
Kévin Vauquelin produced an outstanding ride yesterday to finish sixth despite having lots of ground to make up, having missed the early split in the crosswinds. And the Frenchman appeared to hint that foul play might have been afoot, in one of the more scandalous stories from yesterday’s dramatic stage.
Vlasov is another rider in the break who looks especially dangerous on a pinchy stage like this. He’s probably the strongest in the break going uphill, and has clearly been given freedom to ride for himself despite the fact that his Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe teammate is second on GC.
The fourth stage of Tirreno-Adriatico is nearing its conclusion. You can follow all the action along with us here.
Despite having Campanaerts up the road, Visma-Lease a Bike continue to lead the peloton, and with no help from any other teams.
Campanaerts is getting a bottle from his team car. He's in an unusual situation, positioned in the day's break, but being chased down by his Visma teammates.
There’s an intermediate sprint coming up, but none of the riders in the break have any incentive to go for the bonus seconds on offer.
Romeo takes the seconds at the intermediate sprint, but neither he nor anyone else sprinted for them.
The peloton arrive at the sprint, just 1:25 behind.
We must assume from the way Visma are riding that they want to deliver Vingegaard for another stage win. And given the amount of climbing that's to come, and how strong he looked yesterday, you can see why they'd fancy his chances.
The breakaway riders have just started the first of those climbs, the Côte de Sécheras. It’s the toughest of the day so far, with its 6.9% slopes across 3.9km deemed difficult enough to be designated a category two label.
The gradients have proven too hard for Milesi, who has been dropped out of the break.
Some changes in the peloton as they start the climn. Soudal-QuickStep are rivalling Visma at the front.
Tarling and Campanaerts have joined Milesi in being dropped.
Cepeda has attacked the rest of the break and is now out clear alone.
The peloton is shrinking and shrinking as they go up the climb. Visma are leading again and setting a fierce pace.
Armirail is the Visma rider doing the damage, leading a peloton with only about 20 or so riders left in it.
Plowright has been dropped, and set to lose his place on the top ten on GC. He doesn't seemed fussed about it, however, smiling and waving at the camera. To be so high up on GC was never an expectation of his.
Armirail has four Ineos riders on his wheel. They’re looking good to challenge for the stage today with Kévin Vauquelin.
By contrast, Vingegaard only appears to have Armirail remaining with him.
Cepeda is on a great day. He leads the chasers by 25 seconds, and the peloton by 1:10 as he nears the top of the climb.
Stage four of Tirreno-Adriatico is finished. Have a read here of our detailed report.
Here was the moment Cepeda made his move on the climb.
And here he is having dropped everyone.
The other riders who were in the break have been caught by the peloton, including Campanaerts, who can now help his Visma teammate Armirail in leading the peloton.
It's still Armirail who leads on this flat section, however, with Campanaerts waiting on his wheel.
Armirail is going very hard. He's single-handedly bringing the gaps down on this flat section, to 15 seconds on the two chasers, and 40 seconds to Cepeda.
The next climb, the Côte de Saint-Jean-de-Muzols, is also the day’s hardest. Averaging a brutal 10.5% for 2.2km, it’s a category one effort, and will surely see some action in the peloton.
Ineos have taken over from Visma in the peloton. They must be looking to set something up for Vauqulin.
They're on the cliimb now.
The two chasers were caught before the start of the climb, leaving just Cepeda out in front.
Aready more riders are being dropped out of the peloton, including Armirail.
Campanaerts has taken over from Ineos at the front of the peloton.
Cepeda has been caught, 21.3km from the finish and 1.4km from the summit.
Valentin Paret-Paintre tried an attack after Cepeda was caught, but didn't manage to go clear.
Dani Martínez has been dropped. His second place on GC is in danger.
Lenny Martinez is leading the chase behind, but Vingegaard already has a handful of seconds.
The men second and third on GC, Dani Martínez and Georg Steinhauser, are further adrift.
Lenny Martinez has been brought back by the chase group behind.
And now that chase group has combined with the one behind featuring Dani Martínez and Steinhauser.
Vingegaard hasn't ran away with this stage. His lead is at 30 seconds, and isn't getting any bigger.
Cohesion appears to be breaking down in the chase group. Tejada has just tried an attack on the descent.
Vingegaard is climbing again, up the 3.2m, 7.6% Côte de Saint-Barthelemy le Plain.
The lack of cohesion in the chase is having an effect. Vingegaard is going further and further away, growing his lead to over 50 seconds.
Paret-Peintre tries an attack as the break starts the climb, but can't get away.
Dani Martínez, Vauquelin and Steinhauser are battling for the podium spots, of which there are only two available behind Vingegaard.
Vingegaard continues to pull away, now 1:15 ahead.
Still the chasers attack each other, but none of them can make anything stick.
Valentin Paret-Peintre tries to attack for the umpteenth time, and this time has a gap.
The chasers behind Vingegaard.
Paret-Peintre has ten seconds on the other chasers. He has a good chance of taking second-place.
Vingegaard is done descending, and has started the final uncategorised 3.5km uphill to the finish.
Lenny Martinez leads the chasers as they start the climb.
Valentin Paret-Peintre is looking good for second. He's over 30 seconds ahead of the the chasing group.
Vingegaard is talking to and receiving encouragement from his team car. He’s looking for as big a win as possible.
The pace is off in the chase group, so much so that dropped riders are returning to it.
Izagirre, Baudin and Soler and Onley are the riders to join the chasers.
Valentin Paret-Peintre still looks good for second-place.
Valentin Paret-Peintre does indeed take second-place, but is a whole 2:02 behind.
There's a sprint between the 10-man chase group for third, won by Tejada.
It’s as-you-were at the very top of the GC, the only change being the disappearance of David Gaudu from fifth overall having abandoned.
Valentin Paret-Peintre claims the best-of-the-rest prize behind the unbeatable Vingegaard. That's reward for his many attempts to break out of the chase group, and a benefit of being out of contention on GC.
The other change on GC sees Tim van Dijke slide out of the top ten, having been dropped. That’s understandable, given how deep he went yesterday, and how he is far from being a natural climber.
As has so often been the case in cycling these past few years, the chasing group behind Vingegaard was paralysed by a lack of cohesion, as illustrated by their distracted gazes in this moment.
Tejada winning the sprint for third-place.
22 minutes after Vingegaard won the stage, the autobus has just reached the finish. That was another tough day in the saddle.
Such is Vingegaard’s dominance that he is almost threatening a clean sweep of the jerseys. He now leads the King of the Mountains classification, taking the polka-dot jersey from Casper Pedersen, and is up to second in the points classification, only five points behind Luke Lamperti.
Here's our report of the stage win.
As always, thanks for joining us today, for what was another Jonas Vingegaard masterclass. Come rain or shine, or crosswinds or climbs, he’s proven himself to be the man for every occasion.
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