Paris-Nice: Greipel rockets to stage 5 sprint win

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André Greipel (Lotto Soudal) claimed victory in Thursday's fifth stage of Paris-Nice, sprinting to victory ahead of Arnaud Démare (FDJ) and Dylan Groenewegen (LottoNL-Jumbo).

Démare was the first to launch his move in Bourg-de-Péage after 199 kilometres of racing. Groenewegen overtook the Frenchman to lead the sprint with 200 metres to go before losing ground and allowing Démare to pull even again, but neither could match the powerful kick of Greipel surging past on their right. The German powered away with 100 metres to go to nab the clear win.

"It's always nice to win a stage in Paris-Nice, it's the second time now, and it's an important race as well with all good sprinters. It was a goal to win a stage and to be in front with [Tony] Gallopin for the GC, and for the moment it looks quite good," Greipel said after the victory.

"The last seven or eight kilometres were quite tricky with a block headwind. It was not easy to stay up in front. You had to do the right thing in the right moment and I could manage to do so with the whole team to keep me up in front. At the end it was all the sprinters against each other. It was not a real lead out anymore with a block headwind and I think I managed to wait as long as possible and could do my sprint to the line. It was good timing, I'm happy about it."

Julian Alaphilippe (Quick-Step Floors) finished safely to retain the race lead, surviving a brief split in the bunch with just under 20 kilometres to go.

How it unfolded

On the heels of a critical time trial, and with three mountain stages looming, stage 5 was the last sprinter-friendly day of the race and a welcome chance for the GC hopefuls to take a breather ahead of the weekend.

A six-man breakaway formed in the early goings, with Axel Domont (AG2R La Mondiale), Natnael Berhane (Dimension Data), Pierre-Luc Perichon (Fortuneo-Vital Concept), Lilian Calmejane (Direct Energie), Federico Zurlo (UAE Team Emirates) and Remy di Gregorio (Delko-Marseille) jumping clear shortly after the bunch left Beaujolais.

The escapees quickly built a hefty advantage, growing their gap to seven minutes before reaching kilometre 45, but the pace in the bunch picked up sharply thereafter. The gap was down to six minutes with around 130 kilometres left to race, and 20 minutes later it stood at just 3:30, where things seemed to more or less stabilize. The gap hovered between three and five minutes for the next hour as the breakers made their way into the second half of the stage. Zurlo briefly lost contact on the third-category Côte de Givors before reconnecting with his fellow escapees on the flat section that followed, while Katusha-Alpecin and Quick-Step Floors did the lion's share of the work setting the pace in the bunch.

Zurlo was detached for good on the second and final climb of the day, the category-two Côte de Saint-Uze, and what had been a group of six dwindled to four when Calmejane overshot a corner on the descent a few minutes later.

With 40 kilometres left to race, the peloton began rapidly closing down the break, with FDJ and Lotto Soudal – after Gallopin rejoined the peloton following a puncture – pitching in. The quartet out front saw their advantage dip down under a minute with around 25 kilometres to go.

A change of direction and the accompanying change in the wind split the bunch with 19 kilometres left, leading to a few tense moments for race leader Alaphilippe and others stuck in the second group on the road. Those caught out were quick to react to the danger, however, upping the pace to close down the gap over the course of three kilometres.

The action behind was no help to a breakaway group already in trouble. Di Gregorio tried to solo away as the bunch closed to within 30 seconds, but his attempt was short-lived. The other breakers caught back up with 13 kilometers to go, and a minute later, the peloton had made the catch with Katusha leading the way, setting up the long-expected sprinter's finale.

As teams jockeyed for position in the closing kilometres, Orica-Scott, Quick-Step Floors and FDJ riders replaced Katusha at the front.

Démare was the first to go with 300 metres to go, perhaps facing the wind a bit too early. Groenewegen came around the Frenchman but then faded, allowing Démare to pull even again, before Greipel exploded into the lead on the right side of the road with 100 metres to go.

No one came close to matching Greipel's turn of speed, leaving the German to take a convincing win on the final sprinter's stage of the race.

Paris-Nice continues Friday with a climber-friendly stage 6, running 193.5km from Aubagne to Fayence.

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