2014 Paris-Nice: Notes from stage seven

Slagter strikes again

An exciting day of racing, the early climbs softened the peloton up, then the bumpy final 50km saw attack after attack, frequently stretching the AG2R teams resources as they worked terrifically to keep Carlos Betancur in yellow. No one was able to stay clear for long, but that didn’t start them trying and none were more keen than Sylvain Chavanel (IAM Cycling), but it wasn’t to be and the race was led onto the final ramp by Alexis Vuillermoz and Romain Bardet of AG2R. Before that there was another incident of note as Geraint Thomas (Sky) was involved in a nasty looking crash where he appeared to injure his shoulder; he finished the stage more than seven minutes down and I’d be surprised if he starts tomorrow.

Wilco Kelderman (Belkin) was the first to launch for the line, but Tom-Jelte Slagter (Garmin-Sharp) surged past him, proving unstoppable as he raced clear for his second win of the race. Rui Costa (Lampre-Merida) and Betancur took 2nd and 3rd respectively, and the associated time bonuses, which leaves Costa looking like the only realistic challenger for Betancur’s Yellow Jersey tomorrow. It also leaves Garmin-Sharp to lament the mechanical problem experienced by Slagter on stage six, if not for that mishap he would have been in 2nd, a mere handful of seconds down on Betancur going into the final stage.

Looking ahead to stage eight

Stage eight: Nice – Nice
Image from http://www.letour.com/indexPNC_us.html

The final stage of Paris-Nice once again includes the famous Col d’Eze, but not as the scene of an individual time trial. Instead it represents an opportunity for a final roll of the dice for the overall contenders who could use it as a launch pad to attack, take the time bonus on offer at the top and attempt to hold off the pursuers on the descent down to the finish. Unless something truly dramatic happens, only Costa is close enough to be a realistic threat to Betancur, if he can lead over the Col d’Eze he has the skills necessary to stay clear on the descent. Zdenek Stybar (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) and Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) could also threaten but would need to win by a greater margin.

2014 Paris-Nice: Notes from stage six

Betancur at the double

Two stages from two for Carlos Betancur (AG2R) as the Colombian climber again proved the strongest, this time taking control of the Yellow Jersey in the process. Rui Costa made the final decisive move on the Mur de Fayence but Betancur managed to follow and had the speed to take the sprint. With Zdenek Stybar (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) beating Geraint Thomas (Sky) to 3rd place behind, it gave Betancur an 8 second lead with two stages remaining. While the stage before was largely a victory of his own creation, this one was very much a team effort. AG2R team mates Romain Bardet and Alexis Vuillermoz covered the more dangerous moves on the Col de Bourigaille, then helped to bring back a dangerous group that escaped on the descent after a Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) attack, if that group had reached the Mur de Fayence with a gap then Betancur was out of contention. It was Alexis Vuillermoz who went on the attack on the Mur de Fayence once Simon Spilak (Katusha) had been caught, but an unfortunate crash caught out Vuillermoz while a mechanical took out his fellow attacker, Garmin-Sharp’s Tom-Jelte Slagter. From there Costa attacked, Betancur followed and took care of the rest, a strong performance from the Colombian and it will be difficult for anyone to take the Yellow Jersey from him now.

 

Looking ahead to stage seven

Stage seven: Mougins – Biot Sophia Antipolis
Image from http://www.letour.com/indexPNC_us.html

The most significant climbing stage of the race should ensure that the peloton is much reduced by the time they cross the final categorised climb of the race, the Cote de Gourdon. With that climb coming more than 60km from the end of the stage, some stragglers should be able to rejoin the peloton and a sizeable group should reach the finish together. The final 2km of the stage are uphill at around 5%, and while the gradients are gentler than the Mur de Fayence, the action should be similar but a little more suited to the non-specialist climbers. Given his form it’s hard to rule out Carlos Betancur again, but this finish should make Michael Matthews (Orica GreenEDGE), Zdenek Stybar, Arthur Vichot (FDJ) and Tony Gallopin (Lotto Belisol) more dangerous. The parcours really suits a breakaway, and if the right group of non-threatening riders gets clear then they have a chance to succeed.