We've reached the stage to Mende, and the best hope of serious time gaps amongst the leading riders. The preceding Cat 2 climb close to the finish could help to thin things out, so let's hope the large amount of flat beforehand won't be counterproductive! Yuri Trofimov is on for the hatrick of stages, in what would be his 5th career Paris-Nice stage win: the next best is Thomas Dekker on 3, and he could add to that today aswell. The more likely challenge to Trofimov will come from Stefan Schumacher however - and confidence will be high amongst all of the 15 riders who made the selection on Stage 4.
Four Category 2 climbs makes it a lucrative day for the King of the Mountains competition - which is still very open, currently with joint leaders of Kneisky and Geslin. But just 4 points behind is Deignan, and he is on the attack from the start today - winning the first climb.
Sanz took 2nd, and Boucher was 3rd.
These three are joined by Lebris, Haedo and Bouet join them to form the breakaway.
Cat 2 climbs give 10 points, and Deignan takes the next 2 to already give himself a 26 point lead.
Sanz is 2nd both times, but makes up for that by winning both intermediate sprints. They were not contested though, hence why Haedo didnt win them!
Koenigsegg are in control of the peloton. The gap is at 5 minutes with 35km to go - a chance for the breakaway?
It's still at 4 minutes with 20km to go, but the two remaining climbs still mean the break have a tough battle ahead.
And the early skirmishes begin: Monfort, Roux, Silva Lebas and Siutsou. Pendleton's really on the attack today.
Gastauer also attacks
That moves brings and end to the move of the first 5, so Gastauer just attacks again.
Deignan and Boucher drop the rest of the break, and sure enough, it is the Irishman who leads over the climb - giving himself a very good lead in the competition.
Gastauer holds a small lead on the peloton over the top - approximately a minute behind Deignan.
But by a kilometre later, Gastauer is back in the peloton, and it is Roux clear with a handy 30 second lead.
By the top we reach the start of the climb to Mende, he still leads by 30 seconds - but now he has the company of all 6 of the day's breakaway.
Leading the peloton are Wyss, Anza, De la Fuente, Gastauer, and Danacik.
Wiggle's Swiss domestique closes down the gap to the break, but Roux is not done and attacks again - countered by Monfort. There's 2.7km to go.
Diggle (wearing white with Phinney in Green), Phinney and Trofimov all counter.
But cannot get away. So it's up to Wyss to take control once again.
Trofimov strikes again, and this time moves away.
Phinney chases after him and then Schumacher - possibly too late for the German as Trofimov is riding off into the distance, and the one kilometre to go banner.
And Schumacher quickly moves into 2nd place, ahead of Phinney
Roux and Diggle lead the chase in a fairly bunched up peloton, gaps seems unlikely.
But the stage winner as never in doubt, and could easily have been predicted before the stage: Trofimov wins again.
Schumacher trails in at 20 seconds, but theres a clear gap behind, which is good news for him in the battle for 2nd overall
Phinney takes 3rd - useful bonus seconds, and a gap aswell?
Nope, there isnt enough of a gap for him as LL Sanchez tales 4th in front of the aggressive Roux, Diggle and Monfort.
17 riders are given the same time as Phinney (35 seconds behind Trofimov) - including most of yesterday's Top 15. Konig and Sorensen clung on at the back of this group to maintain their surprisingly good GC placings.
The only of the 15 to lose further time are Lebas and Silva (1'34 down) and Margaliot (2'08 down).
Trofimov now holds a minute's lead in GC. Hard to see how anyone can beat him in either that, or the Points classification. Deignan also now has a strong KoM lead, while Phinney extends his U25 lead over Diggle, and Vueling extend their teams classification lead on Pendleton's.
1
Yuri Trofimov
Koenigsegg
4h31'03
2
Stefan Schumacher
UBS - BMC
+ 20
3
Taylor Phinney
Wikipedia
+ 35
4
Luis Leon Sanchez Gil
Project 1t4i
s.t.
5
Anthony Roux
Team Bacardi
s.t.
6
Tom Diggle
Wiggle Professional Cycling Team
s.t.
7
Maxime Monfort
Lotto - Cervelo
s.t.
8
Marcel Wyss
Wiggle Professional Cycling Team
s.t.
9
David De la Fuente
Lotto - Cervelo
s.t.
10
Konstantin Siutsou
Pendleton's
s.t.
11
Ben Gastauer
Vesuvio - Accumalux
s.t.
12
Santo Anza
Koenigsegg
s.t.
13
Juan José Cobo
Lotto - Cervelo
s.t.
14
Thomas Dekker
Team Vueling Airlines
s.t.
15
Julien Simon
Project 1t4i
s.t.
16
Leopold König
Milka - AVG
s.t.
17
Nico Keinath
Team B&O
s.t.
18
Chris Anker Sørensen
Festina-Canal+
s.t.
19
Jukka Vastaranta
Pearl Adidas
s.t.
20
Dan Craven
Pro Team Venchi - Sugoi
+ 1'13
21
Johannes Frohlinger
Project 1t4i
+ 1'22
22
Bauke Mollema
Festina-Canal+
+ 1'34
23
Jonathan Hivert
Team Vueling Airlines
s.t.
24
Mikhail Ignatiev
Wiggle Professional Cycling Team
s.t.
25
Jonathan Castroviejo
Project 1t4i
s.t.
26
Thomas Lebas
Team Vueling Airlines
s.t.
27
Kleber Silva
Pendleton's
s.t.
28
Jerome Coppel
Milka - AVG
+ 1'58
29
Pello Bilbao
Team Bacardi
s.t.
30
Domenik Klemme
Team B&O
+ 2'08
31
Thibaut Pinot
Wikipedia
s.t.
32
Amaël Moinard
Simply Red Bull
s.t.
33
Klaas Vantornout
Aker - MOT
s.t.
34
Jakub Danacik
Koenigsegg
s.t.
35
Ricardo Van der Velde
Team Bacardi
s.t.
36
George Bennett
Simply Red Bull
s.t.
37
Laurent Pichon
Festina-Canal+
s.t.
38
Ran Margaliot
Simply Red Bull
s.t.
39
Christopher Juul-Jensen
Aker - MOT
s.t.
40
Hector Duenas Nevado
Aker - MOT
s.t.
41
Philip Deignan
Pendleton's
s.t.
42
Florian Morizot
Pearl Adidas
s.t.
43
Danny Summerhill
Wikipedia
s.t.
44
Sebastien Einsle
Vesuvio - Accumalux
s.t.
45
Sebastien Reichenbach
UBS - BMC
+ 2'47
46
Mario Vogt
Team Puma - SAP
+ 3'02
47
Morgan Kneisky
Pearl Adidas
s.t.
48
Kenny Elissonde
Wikipedia
s.t.
49
Juan José Haedo
Heineken presented by California Giant Berry Farms
s.t.
50
Maxime Bouet
Milka - AVG
s.t.
51
Wes Sulzberger
Simply Red Bull
s.t.
52
Francesco Reda
Pro Team Venchi - Sugoi
s.t.
53
Ole Haavardsholm
Pro Team Venchi - Sugoi
s.t.
54
Blel Kadri
Team Vueling Airlines
s.t.
55
Ruben Ibanez
Pendleton's
s.t.
56
Simon Zahner
UBS - BMC
s.t.
57
Maxim Belkov
Wiggle Professional Cycling Team
s.t.
58
Maximiliano Richeze
UBS - BMC
s.t.
59
David Boucher
Pokerstars.com
s.t.
60
Wout Poels
Project 1t4i
s.t.
61
Cedric Lebris
Festina-Canal+
s.t.
62
Mauricio Sanz
Team Puma - SAP
+ 4'12
63
Darwin Atapuma
Wikipedia
+ 5'43
64
Raúl Granjel Cabrera
Koenigsegg
s.t.
65
Lorents Ola Aasvold
Aker - MOT
+ 7'29
66
Maurizio Biondo
Aker - MOT
+ 7'37
67
Anthony Geslin
Pokerstars.com
s.t.
68
Ben Swift
Vesuvio - Accumalux
s.t.
69
Francisco Javier Echarri
Santander
s.t.
70
Pedro Merino Criado
Vesuvio - Accumalux
s.t.
71
Mathieu Perget
Team Bacardi
s.t.
72
Marcel Aregger
Pro Team Venchi - Sugoi
s.t.
73
Rafael Serrano
Santander
s.t.
74
Julien Vermote
Pokerstars.com
s.t.
75
Yoann Offredo
Pearl Adidas
s.t.
76
Samuel Dumoulin
Pokerstars.com
s.t.
77
Arthur Vichot
Team Vueling Airlines
s.t.
78
William Bonnet
Lotto - Cervelo
s.t.
79
Lucas Sebastian Haedo
Aker - MOT
s.t.
80
Daryl Impey
Aker - MOT
s.t.
81
Steven Caethoven
Vesuvio - Accumalux
s.t.
82
Alexander Wetterhall
Koenigsegg
s.t.
83
Marek Canecky
Milka - AVG
s.t.
84
Leigh Howard
Milka - AVG
s.t.
85
Alexandre Geniez
Team Vueling Airlines
s.t.
86
Sondre Sørtveit
Aker - MOT
s.t.
87
Jakub Novak
Milka - AVG
s.t.
88
Johan Le Bon
UBS - BMC
s.t.
89
Meron Russom
Pendleton's
s.t.
90
Ole Hirschlein
Lotto - Cervelo
s.t.
91
Rafel Majka
Project 1t4i
s.t.
92
Matthieu Ladagnous
Pendleton's
s.t.
93
Tom Copeland
Pendleton's
s.t.
94
Ivan Santaromita
UBS - BMC
s.t.
95
Nicolas Edet
Team Vueling Airlines
s.t.
96
Abolfazl Gilanipoor
Heineken presented by California Giant Berry Farms
s.t.
97
Mattia Pozzo
Team Puma - SAP
s.t.
98
Nikias Arndt
Team B&O
s.t.
99
Rob Partridge
Wiggle Professional Cycling Team
s.t.
100
Guillaume Blot
Pearl Adidas
s.t.
101
Russell Downing
Control Team
s.t.
102
Jon Aberasturi
Project 1t4i
s.t.
103
Kevin Fouquet
Koenigsegg
s.t.
104
Bas Giling
Project 1t4i
s.t.
105
Emilien Viennet
Team Vueling Airlines
s.t.
106
Chu Thien Sinelobov
UBS - BMC
s.t.
107
Francis Mourey
Pendleton's
s.t.
108
Philipp Walsleben
Vesuvio - Accumalux
s.t.
109
Maarten Wynants
Team Puma - SAP
s.t.
110
Timothy Dupont
Pokerstars.com
s.t.
111
Davide Viganò
Pro Team Venchi - Sugoi
+ 9'02
112
Jude Libert
Lotto - Cervelo
s.t.
113
Michel Sibilla
Simply Red Bull
s.t.
114
Matthieu Sprick
Wikipedia
s.t.
115
Aberlardo Ablenado
Santander
+ 9'26
116
Tom Thill
Team Bacardi
s.t.
117
Andrew Fenn
Wiggle Professional Cycling Team
s.t.
118
Kevin Eeckhout
Wikipedia
s.t.
119
Sébastien Turgot
Simply Red Bull
s.t.
120
Armindo Fonseca
Pearl Adidas
s.t.
121
Michael Matthews
Heineken presented by California Giant Berry Farms
s.t.
122
Juraj Sagan
Team B&O
s.t.
123
Benoît Sinner
Festina-Canal+
s.t.
124
Gerben Löwik
Control Team
s.t.
125
Alexander Krieger
Simply Red Bull
s.t.
126
Antonio Santoro
Pro Team Venchi - Sugoi
s.t.
127
Daniele Ratto
Wiggle Professional Cycling Team
s.t.
128
Mathieu Bernaudeau
Festina-Canal+
s.t.
129
Jon Ander Insausti
Santander
+ 11'11
130
Cadel Evans
Control Team
+ 12'47
131
Steele Von Hoff
Heineken presented by California Giant Berry Farms
+ 12'56
132
Julio Alberto Perez Cuapio
Control Team
s.t.
133
John Degenkolb
Pokerstars.com
s.t.
134
Nikola Aistrup
Team B&O
s.t.
135
Robert Hunter
Control Team
s.t.
136
Kristoffer Nielsen
Team B&O
s.t.
137
Philip Vandaele
Heineken presented by California Giant Berry Farms
s.t.
138
Romain Vanderbiest
Pearl Adidas
s.t.
139
Jean-Patrick Nazon
Control Team
+ 13'30
140
Rasmus Quaade
Team B&O
+ 14'01
141
Jempy Drucker
Team B&O
+ 15'02
142
Preben Van Hecke
Heineken presented by California Giant Berry Farms
+ 15'56
143
Evan Huffman
Heineken presented by California Giant Berry Farms
