2011 Paris-Nice

[Cruiser23]

The great Paris-Nice starts today, can't wait for this one. You can follow all the action, news here at steephill. We've got riders like Martin, Sagan, LL Sanchez, Kreuziger, Sammy Sanchez, Vino, JVDB, Kloden, Wiggins, Porte and many more in contention to take this year Tour out.

Here is a nice little preview of the teams.

Live coverage - http://www.fromsportcom.com/c-9.html

The Tour runs from the 6th - 13th of March. There are a few flatter stages early, then a few more hilly stage. There is a 27km ITT too, should be an interesting week.

There are a few Australians involved, they are Haussler, Goss, Gerrans and Porte.

 

[Cruiser23]

Stage 1 -

Houdan -> Houdan (155km)

Profile:

Last KM:

This year's Paris-Nice starts in Houdan about 40 km west of Paris. The peloton will head north and do a loop starting and ending in Houdan with three finishing circuits. Houdan, means “House on the Hill” in French but this isn't a hilly stage by pro standards. It's a flat to rolling stage that is expected to end in a field sprint, but this is Paris-Nice where anything can happen, so you never know.

 

[Cruiser23]

Going to go for Louis Leon Sanchez here in the overall. He's got a great record in the race and i think Martin will lose just a little bit too much time on the climbs. Kreuziger will come close, that's be me my top 3 though i'm not really sticking my neck out with the selections. Sanchez will give the podium a shot too i think. Hopefully Richie Porte can put in a good performance too.

 

[Cruiser23]

Got under a short time ago. Gaudin and Insausti from Europcar and E-E respectively have taken off and have a 6 minute gap 33km into the 155km 1st stage.

 

[Cruiser23]

If anyone wants to catch the action throughout the week, this website should have every stage live.

http://www.fromsportcom.com/c-9.html

 

[Cruiser23]

51km left, the two have a one and a half minute gap...

 

[Cruiser23]

They got caught with 40km to go, sprinters teams will control it from here on. There will probably be a few optimistic riders who attempt a break.

 

[Cruiser23]

Crosswinds are splitting the peloton apart here. Voigt has had a go, he, Roy and De Gendt 52 seconds ahead with 27km to go.

 

[Cruiser23]

Hectic finish. The three managed to stay away right to the line with De Grendt just pipping the sprinters who were flying but left their run too late. It was a really disjointed chase, they didn't really put the hammer down until the 3km mark. You'd expect it to be in gear much earlier than that.

Haussler in good form, watch out for him in tomorrow's stage.

 

[Cruiser23]

Stage 1 Results:

Winner - De Grendt (Vacansoleil)

1. De Grendt (Vacansoleil)
2. Roy (FDJ)
3. Haussler (Garmin-Cervello)
4. Sagan (Liquigas)
5. Henderson (Sky)

Full Official Results

Last 7km
[YOUTUBE]jmo4_lJYfrQ[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Wahooti Fandango]

Great updates Cruiser. Keep it up.

 

[Cruiser23]

Stage 2 -

Monfort l'Amuary -> Amilly

Profile

Last KM

Stage 2 revisits the prologue hosts from 2009 and 2010 for a road stage. In 2010, Paris-Nice started in Montfort l’Amaury which will host the stage 2 start this year and in 2009 we had a prologue in Amilly, the finsh for this year's stage 2. In 2009, last year's overall winner, Alberto Contador, won the Amilly prologue. This year, he raced and won Vuelta a Murcia which finished on Sunday with a individual time-trial that he also won.

This stage is a chance for the sprinters to get it right after misjudging the break on stage 1; however, we'll a have more narrow French countryside roads and there will be a strong 25 kph crosswind most of route into Amily where it will turn into a tailwind for the last 8 km. Stage 2 is the flattest stage of this year's race and the headwind in the later half of the stage should doom the break.

 

[Cruiser23]

Martin Velits, Sebastion Haedo and David Moncoutie have all pulled out because of various injuries.

 

[Cruiser23]

LOL at the peloton waiting for a train.

Then the official are trying to hold back the peloton to let the breakaway get their gap again. A few riders tried to sneak around.

 

[Cruiser23]

Haussler gone down. Just forced to go off the road. Should be fine.

There has literally been 6 crashes today. Leipheimer, Schleck and Haussler the notable names on the deck. Nothing major though.

 

[Cruiser23]

Very exciting finish today. Really enjoy the finishes where there isn't really a strong enough team to control the last 5km or so. HTC tried but they weren't strong enough, Thomas was smart, waited until HTC were out of riders as they blew early and took off with Henderson on his while. Goss got checked by the winner Henderson early in the straight. Was going down the outside but Henderson veered to the left and Goss had to duck back inside. From there Henderson was too hard to cash. Haussler was motoring down the outside late but only managed 4th. Sagan was a little disappointing, finished 5th but had a fairly nice run.

 

[Cruiser23]

Stage 2 Results:

Winner - Greg Henderson (Sky)

1. Greg Henderson (Sky)
2. Matt Goss (HTC)
3. Denis Galimzyanov (Katusha)
4. Heinrich Haussler (Garmin-Cervelo)
5. Peter Sagan (Liquigas)

Full Official Results

Last Few Kms
[YOUTUBE]bWlj7UKv8qs[/YOUTUBE]

Overall - Thomas De Gendt (Vacansoleil)

1. Thomas De Gendt (Vacansoleil)
2. Greg Henderson (Sky) +00' 04"
3. Jeremy Roy (FDJ) +00' 07"
4. Matt Goss (HTC) +00' 08"
5. Tony Gallopin (Cofidis)

 

[Cruiser23]

Stage 3:

Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire -> Nuits-Saint-Georges (203km)

Profile

Last KM

Stage 3 will feature the Burgundy region of France famous for you know what. The peloton will pass by some of the world's most famous vineyards on the run into Nuits-Saint-Georges. On a recreational ride, the straight last few kms to the finish would be good for gazing across the vineyards, but Stage 3 will finish with a nasty 90 degree left turn just 200m from the line.

In 1997, Freddy Maertens won a sprint finish in Nuits-Saint-Georges. I'm not sure what the rest of the course was like that year, but this year's course is lumpy with the cat 2 Cote de Becoup (5.3 km of 5%) cresting just 12 km from the finish.

This 203 km stage will start to the west in Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire and there will once again be some squirreling roads, some obscured by thick foilage, that will play to a break. And again, there be a strong crosswind, this time from the SSW, under perfectly sunny skies.

 

[Cruiser23]

Should be a good stage today with a chance for attacks on the final climb which is 20km from the finish. There is also a nice little left hander very close to the finish that will need to be judged by the riders that get over the hill first. Seems like a stage for the more all-round riders, like Sagan and Haussler.

 

[Cruiser23]

This could start to get interesting soon. 35km to go, a 5 man break away has just over a 2 minute gap, but it's coming down.

 

[Cruiser23]

Voeckler attacks with 20km to go...

 

[Cruiser23]

Haussler and Sagan's men trying to drag back Voeckler and Kadri. Gap holding at around 15-20 seconds.

 

[Cruiser23]

It's back, love it...

Another entertaining finish with that sharp left hander catching Peter Sagan out. He went down a took out a fair few riders with him. Great result for the Aussies though with one two on the podium. Goss just held out another fast finish Haussler.

Chavanel also had a puncture with 7km to go but i believe managed to get back on.

With that win also, Goss takes over the yellow jersey by 2 seconds from De Gendt.

 

[Cruiser23]

Stage 3 Results:

Winner - Matt Goss (HTC)

1. Matt Goss (HTC)
2. Heinrich Haussler (Garmin-Cervelo)
3. Denis Galimzyanov (Katusha)
4. Jose Rojas (Movistar)
5. Geraint Thomas (Sky)

Full Official Results

Last Few Kms
[YOUTUBE]KrafAsyH208[/YOUTUBE]

Overall - Matt Goss (HTC)

1. Matt Goss (HTC)
2. Thomas De Gendt (Vacansoleil) +00' 02"
3. Heinrich Haussler (Garmin-Cervelo) +00' 06"
4. Greg Henderson (Sky) +00' 06"
5. Denis Galimzynov (Katusha) +00' 08"

 

[Cruiser23]

Stage 4:

Creches-sur-Saone -> Belleville (191km)

Profile

Last KM

As we make our way south, not only does it warm up, but gets it hillier, of course. The racing should heat too as the stage 3 route is up and down just about the entire way.

This hilly stage will feature seven categorized climbs, but nothing greater than a cat 2 making for great classics prep. The peloton will start in Crêches-sur-Saône, heading west before looping south around the perimeter of Mont Monet. The finish will be in Belleville (but not as in the Triplets of Belleville, that's the Belleville neighborhood in Paris) after descending from the hills. As you can see from the map above, the stage will form almost a complete loop, which is always good for the road side fans.

The last time Paris-Nice finished in Belleville was in 1977 when Freddy Maertens was on a tear winning four stages that year. If chances of a sprint finish are 50-50 at Paris-Nice then always bet on the break succeeding -- that's something Yoga Berra might say.