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Amilly
9.3 km
Sunday 8 March
Spain’s Alberto Contador (Astana) won the 9.3-kms first stage in Amilly in 11:05, ahead of Briton Bradley Wiggins (Garmin), seven seconds behind, and Spain’s Luis Leon Sanchez (Caisse d’Epargne), nine seconds behind.
In 11:19, Briton David Millar, winner of the prologue in 2007, takes the fifth place.
Alberto Contador (Astana) takes the lead in 11:05. Wiggins is second eight seconds behind and Luis Leon Sanchez third, 10 seconds adrift.
Germany’s Tony Martin (Team High Road) seizes the second place in 11:17. He will take the best young rider’s white jersey at the finish.
A slightly disappointing result for Czech Roman Kreuziger, in 11:38.
Dutchman Joost Posthuma (Rabobank), who just started, is 28 today.
Antonio Colom (Katusha) is on the provisional podium in 11:27.
Spain’s Alberto Contador (Astana), the 2007 winner, is now on the course.
Nicolas Roche finishes in 11:54. His father Stephen won Paris-Nice in 1981.
Rain had stopped for a while but it is back on the race.
No risks either for Oscar Pereiro (Caisse d’Epargne), the 2006 Tour de France winner, timed in 11:52.
Saxo Bank team leader Frank Schleck has taken no risks on the wet tarmac. He is 28 seconds behind Wiggins in 11:41.
Katusha’s team leader Vladimir Karpets seizes the third place in 11:27. The former Tour of Switzerland winner and best young rider in the 2004 Tour obviously has ambitions on this Paris-Nice
Amaury Sport Organisation and the Yvelines departement, west of Paris, have signed an agreement on Sunday "engaging" them to organise the start of the Race to the Sun from 2010 to 2013.
“We’re glad to announce that we are getting engaged with the Yvelines department and we hope for the marriage to materialise soon,” said Paris-Nice and Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme.
The town from which the 68th edition of Paris-Nice will take off has yet to be announced but Pierre Lequiller, vice-president of the Yvelines General council, said he was expecting a decision soon.
“We are only getting engaged for now because the decision has not been voted yet. But the Yvelines department will be ideal to stage the Paris-Nice stage as we are the department with the greatest number of inhabitants with a sporting licence.”
“We’re a greedy region but not a selfish one and we’re glad to pass the baton the Yvelines,” said Jean-Pierre Door, mayor of Montargis.
Pierre Lequiller, Jean-Pierre Dore, François Bonneau, president of the Centre region, and Gerard Dupaty, mayor of Amilly all went on their bikes on Sunday to follow Bernard Hinault on the 9.3-kms course of the first stage in Amilly.
The rain has stopped on the first stage of Paris-Nice. Will it have an impact on the times from now on?
Italian champion Marco Pinotti is fifth fastest in 11:34.
Frenchman Remi Pauriol (Cofidis) clocks the third fastest time in 11:27, three seconds behind Chavanel and 15 behind Wiggins.
Dutchman Niki Terpstra (Milram) clocks the fourth fastest time in 11:35 and becomes the best placed under-25 rider.
France’s Cyril Gautier (Bbox Bouygues), who just started, is the youngest rider at the start at 21. He was under-23 European champion last year.
Bradley Wiggins is fastest in 11:13. He improves Chavanel’s time by 11 seconds.
Spain’s Inigo Cuesta (Caisse d’Epargne), who just started, is the oldest rider at the start at 39.
Bradley Wiggins, the Olympic and world individual pursuit champion, is fastest after 5.3 kms in 6:05. He improves Chavanel’s mark by five seconds.
Briton Bradley Wiggins (Garmin), one of the arch-favourites, is now on the course.
Russia’s Yuri Trofimov (Bbox Bouygues), who just started, is the oldest of the "young" riders at 25.
Maciej Bodnar (Liquigas) was 24 yesterday. His birthday seems to have boosted the Pole, who is till 4th in the provisional standings and the best young rider.
Winner of the first stage last year, Belgium’s Gert Steegmans (Katusha) is now on the course.
Popovych is sixth fastest on the finish line in 11:36.
Third overall last year, Ukraine’s Yaroslav Popovych (Astana) is third fastest after 5.3 kms in 6:15.
Belgium’s Kevin Van Impe (Quick Step) is now second in 11:31, seven seconds behind Sylvain Chavanel.
Second fastest time for another former Olympic silver-medallist, Portugal’s Sergio Paulinho (Astana) in 11:36.
Larsson clocks a disappointing 11:55, 21 seconds behind Chavanel.
Sweden’s Gustav Larsson (Saxo Bank), the Olympic time trial silver-medallist, is five seconds behind Chavanel after 5.3 kms.
Cuurent leader Sylvain Chavanel of France is one of the favourites of this edition. He held the yellow jersey last season in St Etienne and won a stage in Cannes. His shift from Cofidis to Quick Step in the mid-season gave him even bigger ambitions.
Chavanel leads in 11:24. The three-times time trial French champion leads Poland’s Maciej Bodnar (Liquigas) by 12 seconds and Denmark’s Jakob Fuglsang (Saxo Bank) by 13 seconds.
France’s Sylvain Chavanel (Quickstep) is fastest after 5.3 kms in 6:10.
Rain started falling shortly before the start of the stage and has not stopped since. The course is wet, which could be a factor.
1. Rooijakkers 11:40
2. Velits same time
3. De Weert 11:45
4. Turgot same time
5. Amador 11:48
Dutchman Piet Rooijakkers (Skil Shimano) in the lead in 11:40. Martin Velits (Milram) clocks the same time.
Andrei Amador (Caisse d’Epargne) just finished in 11:48. The first rider from Costa Rica to take part in Paris-Nice, he had won the prologue of the Tour de l’Avenir in nearby Chalette sur Loing last year.
France’s Sebastien Turgot (Brox Bouygues) improves Muller’s time in 11:45. Turgot was revealed by finishing third in Paris-Tours last season.
Germany’s Martin Muller (Milram) is the first rider under 12 minutes in 11:52.
Briton Daniel Fleeman improves Eltink’s time by four seconds in 12:24.
First starter Theo Eltink (Skil Shimano) has just finished in 12 minutes and 28 seconds.
Fourty riders will compete for the MBK young rider’s white jersey, reserved to riders born after 1983. Last year, the jersey went to Dutchman Robert Gesink, who is not at the start this year.
Riders from 30 nations are taking part in this year’s Paris-Nice with France the strongest field with 40 riders followed by Spain with 26. Following is the line-up country by country:
France 40
Spain 26
Belgium 15
Netherlands 12
Italy 11
Germany 10
Russia 7
Australia 5
Denmark 4
Unites States 4
Britain 4
Ireland 2
Switzerland 2
Austria 1
Belarus 1
Brazil 1
Canada 1
Costa Rica 1
Czech Republic 1
Estonia 1
Finland 1
Kazakhstan 1
Luxembourg 1
New Zealand 1
Poland 1
Portugal 1
Slovakia 1
Slovenia 1
Sweden 1
Ukraine 1
Dutchman Theo Eltink was the first rider to start. 158 riders will follow suit, every minute, until Italian Rinadlo Nocentini, the last man out at 15.49.
The distance of the first stage (9.3 kms) makes it too long to be dubbed a "prologue" as prologues should not exceed 8 kms.
Welcome on the first stage of the 67th edition of Paris-Nice, a 9.3-kms indiviudal time trial in Amilly.
