As per tradition, Paris-Nice begins with a Prologue - although admittedly, there was not a Prologue last year. Back in 2011, Jerome Coppel won the Prologue and the French Time Trial champion is a favourite to do so once again.
The big challenge comes from former World ITT Champion Taylor Phinney - and if the winner doesnt come from one of these two, then it will be a surprise.
From the early riders to start, there is a certain French theme to the leading times.
1
Julien Simon
6'54
2
Florian Morizot
+ 1
3
Emilien Viennet
+ 2
4
Alexander Wetterhall
s.t.
5
Jakub Novak
+ 3
6
Matthieu Ladagnous
s.t.
7
Leopold König
s.t.
8
Marcel Wyss
+ 4
9
Yoann Offredo
s.t.
10
Philipp Walsleben
s.t.
And the French theme is sure to continue as Jerome Coppel is out on course. And he takes the lead by 11 seconds.
We are in the closing stages of the prologue, so the leading riders are coming thick and fast. Mikhail Ignatiev is next, and it is actually going to be very close!
2nd place for the Wiggle rider - just 3 seconds down.
Another National champion next, Jakub Danacik, and at 10 seconds down he takes 3rd place.
Mathieu Bernaudeau is another Frenchman hoping for a good time, and he takes 3rd place - 8 seconds behind Coppel.
3rd place is about to change hands again. William Bonnet finishes 7 seconds down.
Namibian Dan Craven takes 5th, with the same time as Bernaudeau
Time for a new 3rd place again, this time Nico Keinath - only slightly faster than Bonnet
Luis Leon Sanchez Gil almost makes it another 3rd place, but he finds a way to finish between Bonnet and Keinath - all three are 7 seconds behind Coppel
Thomas Dekker is having to adjust to life below the ProTour, but he gets a chance to ride Paris-Nice on a wildcard. And guess what? He takes 3rd! 3 seconds down, just like Ignatiev.
Yuri Trofimov returns to Paris-Nice as a defending champion, and a favourite to repeat the victory. And it is a great start as he beats Ignatiev to go 2nd, 2 seconds behind Coppel
Stefan Schumacher is the leading challenger to Trofimov, and he rides into 5th place, 5 seconds behind Coppel
Theres just two riders left, and one of them is Ben Swift, so wont be challenging Coppel.
The last rider could though, its Taylor Phinney. It's going to be very close.
And there is to be no home victory, Phinney bounces back from a Chrono des Herbiers disappointment with a victory as he beats Coppel by 2 seconds.
1
Taylor Phinney
Wikipedia
6'41
2
Jerome Coppel
Milka - AVG
+ 2
3
Yuri Trofimov
Koenigsegg
+ 3
4
Mikhail Ignatiev
Wiggle Professional Cycling Team
+ 5
5
Thomas Dekker
Team Vueling Airlines
s.t.
6
Stefan Schumacher
UBS - BMC
+ 7
7
Nico Keinath
Team B&O
+ 9
8
Luis Leon Sanchez Gil
Project 1t4i
s.t.
9
William Bonnet
Lotto - Cervelo
s.t.
10
Mathieu Bernaudeau
Festina-Canal+
+ 11
11
Dan Craven
Pro Team Venchi - Sugoi
s.t.
12
Jakub Danacik
Koenigsegg
+ 12
13
Julien Simon
Project 1t4i
+ 13
14
Florian Morizot
Pearl Adidas
+ 14
15
Juan José Cobo
Lotto - Cervelo
s.t.
16
Maxime Bouet
Milka - AVG
s.t.
17
Maxime Monfort
Lotto - Cervelo
s.t.
18
Emilien Viennet
Team Vueling Airlines
+ 15
19
Alexander Wetterhall
Koenigsegg
s.t.
20
Tom Diggle
Wiggle Professional Cycling Team
s.t.
21
Marcel Aregger
Pro Team Venchi - Sugoi
s.t.
22
Jakub Novak
Milka - AVG
+ 16
23
Matthieu Ladagnous
Pendleton's
s.t.
24
Leopold König
Milka - AVG
s.t.
25
Ruben Ibanez
Pendleton's
s.t.
26
David De la Fuente
Lotto - Cervelo
s.t.
27
Jon Aberasturi
Project 1t4i
s.t.
28
Marcel Wyss
Wiggle Professional Cycling Team
+ 17
29
Yoann Offredo
Pearl Adidas
s.t.
30
Philipp Walsleben
Vesuvio - Accumalux
s.t.
31
Morgan Kneisky
Pearl Adidas
s.t.
32
Bauke Mollema
Festina-Canal+
s.t.
33
Jonathan Castroviejo
Project 1t4i
s.t.
34
Maxim Belkov
Wiggle Professional Cycling Team
s.t.
35
Wout Poels
Project 1t4i
+ 18
36
Matthieu Sprick
Wikipedia
s.t.
37
Alexandre Geniez
Team Vueling Airlines
s.t.
38
Konstantin Siutsou
Pendleton's
s.t.
39
Daryl Impey
Aker - MOT
s.t.
40
Ben Swift
Vesuvio - Accumalux
s.t.
41
Ricardo Van der Velde
Team Bacardi
s.t.
42
David Boucher
Pokerstars.com
+ 19
43
Tom Thill
Team Bacardi
s.t.
44
Ben Gastauer
Vesuvio - Accumalux
s.t.
45
Mathieu Perget
Team Bacardi
s.t.
46
Tom Copeland
Pendleton's
s.t.
47
Juraj Sagan
Team B&O
s.t.
48
Jukka Vastaranta
Pearl Adidas
s.t.
49
Rasmus Quaade
Team B&O
+ 20
50
Eric Berthou
Pearl Adidas
s.t.
51
Domenik Klemme
Team B&O
+ 21
52
Kevin Fouquet
Koenigsegg
s.t.
53
Evan Huffman
Heineken presented by California Giant Berry Farms
s.t.
54
Aberlardo Ablenado
Santander
s.t.
55
Maarten Wynants
Team Puma - SAP
s.t.
56
Leigh Howard
Milka - AVG
s.t.
57
John Degenkolb
Pokerstars.com
s.t.
58
Romain Vanderbiest
Pearl Adidas
s.t.
59
Sébastien Turgot
Simply Red Bull
+ 22
60
Meron Russom
Pendleton's
s.t.
61
Hector Duenas Nevado
Aker - MOT
s.t.
62
Maurizio Biondo
Aker - MOT
s.t.
63
Cedric Lebris
Festina-Canal+
s.t.
64
Guillaume Blot
Pearl Adidas
s.t.
65
Jon Ander Insausti
Santander
s.t.
66
Christopher Juul-Jensen
Aker - MOT
+ 23
67
Rafel Majka
Project 1t4i
s.t.
68
Amaël Moinard
Simply Red Bull
s.t.
69
Thomas Lebas
Team Vueling Airlines
s.t.
70
Raúl Granjel Cabrera
Koenigsegg
s.t.
71
Thibaut Pinot
Wikipedia
s.t.
72
Johannes Frohlinger
Project 1t4i
s.t.
73
Abolfazl Gilanipoor
Heineken presented by California Giant Berry Farms
s.t.
74
Johan Le Bon
UBS - BMC
s.t.
75
Anthony Roux
Team Bacardi
s.t.
76
Bas Giling
Project 1t4i
s.t.
77
Ole Hirschlein
Lotto - Cervelo
+ 24
78
Steele Von Hoff
Heineken presented by California Giant Berry Farms
s.t.
79
Simon Zahner
UBS - BMC
s.t.
80
Benoît Sinner
Festina-Canal+
s.t.
81
Laurent Pichon
Festina-Canal+
s.t.
82
Mario Vogt
Team Puma - SAP
s.t.
83
Michael Matthews
Heineken presented by California Giant Berry Farms
s.t.
84
Armindo Fonseca
Pearl Adidas
s.t.
85
Philip Deignan
Pendleton's
s.t.
86
Marek Canecky
Milka - AVG
s.t.
87
Sebastien Reichenbach
UBS - BMC
s.t.
88
Julien Vermote
Pokerstars.com
s.t.
89
Arthur Vichot
Team Vueling Airlines
+ 25
90
Francesco Reda
Pro Team Venchi - Sugoi
s.t.
91
Preben Van Hecke
Heineken presented by California Giant Berry Farms
s.t.
92
Ivan Santaromita
UBS - BMC
s.t.
93
Rafael Serrano
Santander
s.t.
94
Jempy Drucker
Team B&O
s.t.
95
Kenny Elissonde
Wikipedia
s.t.
96
Francisco Javier Echarri
Santander
s.t.
97
George Bennett
Simply Red Bull
s.t.
98
Lorents Ola Aasvold
Aker - MOT
s.t.
99
Cadel Evans
Control Team
s.t.
100
Anthony Lavoine
Festina-Canal+
s.t.
101
Andrew Fenn
Wiggle Professional Cycling Team
s.t.
102
Ran Margaliot
Simply Red Bull
s.t.
103
Sondre Sørtveit
Aker - MOT
+ 26
104
Wes Sulzberger
Simply Red Bull
s.t.
105
Philip Vandaele
Heineken presented by California Giant Berry Farms
s.t.
106
Chu Thien Sinelobov
UBS - BMC
s.t.
107
Jonathan Hivert
Team Vueling Airlines
s.t.
108
Ole Haavardsholm
Pro Team Venchi - Sugoi
s.t.
109
Alexandre Aulas
Simply Red Bull
s.t.
110
Klaas Vantornout
Aker - MOT
s.t.
111
Maximiliano Richeze
UBS - BMC
+ 27
112
Sebastien Einsle
Vesuvio - Accumalux
s.t.
113
Pello Bilbao
Team Bacardi
s.t.
114
Santo Anza
Koenigsegg
s.t.
115
Darwin Atapuma
Wikipedia
s.t.
116
Marco Zafferani
Wiggle Professional Cycling Team
s.t.
117
Timothy Dupont
Pokerstars.com
+ 28
118
Jude Libert
Lotto - Cervelo
s.t.
119
Benedetto Monterastelli
Pro Team Venchi - Sugoi
s.t.
120
Johim Ariesen
Pokerstars.com
s.t.
121
Juan José Haedo
Heineken presented by California Giant Berry Farms
