Geraint Thomas keeps Paris-Nice lead after stage five goes to Carlos Betancur
Team Sky's Geraint Thomas defended his lead at Paris-Nice after Carlos Betancur (Ag2r-La Mondiale) took the victory on stage five
Geraint Thomas has kept hold of the race leader's yellow jersey at Paris-Nice after limiting his losses to stage winner Carlos Betancur (Ag2r-La Mondiale) on stage five.
As Thomas and Tom Jelte Slagter did 24 hours earlier, Betancur broke clear on the final climb of the day with two companions - Bob Jungels (Trek Factory Racing) and Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) - and the trio narrowly held off the rampaging peloton by a matter of two seconds.
The Colombian duly dispatched his European rivals in the sprint to the line, however when the chasing pack was led home by Frenchman Bryan Coquard (Europcar) the time difference was small enough for Thomas to keep hold of yellow.
The Welshman had to do much of the chasing himself, however, as he found himself isolated and lacking teammates in the final 10km.
Betancur moved up to sixth overall on a day when a mechanical and an abandon respectively meant that teammates Samuel Dumoulin and Maxime Bouet dropped out of contention.
Results
Paris-Nice 2014, stage five: Creches-sur-Saone to Rive-de-Gier, 153km
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
1. Carlos Betancur (Col) Ag2r-La Mondiale
2. Bob Jungels (Lux) Trek Factory Racing
3. Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana
4. Bryan Coquard (Fra) Europcar at 2 secs
5. Tom Boonen (Bel) Omega Pharma-Quickstep
6. Reinardt Janse Van Rensburg (RSA) Giant-Shimano
7. Tony Gallopin (Fra) Lotto-Belisol
8. Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing
9. Borut Bozic (Slo) Astana
10. Marco Marcato (Ita) Cannondale all at s.t.
Overall classification after stage five
1. Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky at 21-42-51
2. John Degenkolb (Ger) Giant-Shimano at 3 secs
3. Tom Jelte Slagter (Ned) Garmin-Sharp at 4 secs
4. Jose Joaquin Rojas (Spa) Movistar at 8 secs
5. Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Belkin at 15 secs
6. Carlos Betancur (Col) Ag2r-La Mondiale at 17 secs
7. Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Omega Pharma-Quickstep at 19 secs
8. Cyril Gautier (Fra) Europcar
9. Arnold Jeannesson (Fra) FDJ.fr
10. Arthur Vichot (Fra) FDJ.fr all at s.t.
Photo gallery: Paris-Nice 2014, stage five
Images from the fifth stage of 2014 Paris-Nice, won by Carlos Betancur
Geraint Thomas leads Paris-Nice after stage four
Geraint Thomas (Sky) has moved into the overall lead at Paris-Nice after finishing second on the fourth stage to Dutchman
Froome out of Tirreno, Thomas to lead in France
Paris-Nice diary: Sky’s biggest challenge
Anarchic nature of this year's Paris-Nice route means that Sky will have a tough job controlling the race lead
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Richard Abraham is an award-winning writer, based in New Zealand. He has reported from major sporting events including the Tour de France and Olympic Games, and is also a part-time travel guide who has delivered luxury cycle tours and events across Europe. In 2019 he was awarded Writer of the Year at the PPA Awards.
-
Chinese X-Lab vies for global domination as it equips XDS Astana with bikes for the WorldTour
A new partnership sees Astana aboard new bikes with increased funding for 2025
By Joe Baker Published
-
Tech of the week: Van Rysel releases an aero bike (quelle surprise!) plus a superlight carbon crankset from FSA, a long top tube bag from Tailfin and tyre liners from Zefal
The RCR-F aero bike will be ridden by the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale team in 2025, but will it create headlines like the RCR?
By Luke Friend Published
-
Tom Pidcock to remain 'part of the Pinarello family' after joining Q36.5 Pro Cycling
British star will continue to ride Pinarello bikes after leaving Ineos Grenadiers
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Ineos Grenadiers hire new head of engineering as reshuffle continues
Former British Cycling lead, Dr Billy Fitton, is the latest of a handful of new appointments within the British squad
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Tweets of the week: Grandpa Geraint Thomas, a fox at the Giro d'Italia, and the greatest camera shot ever
As the dust settles on the Giro d'Italia, it's the Tour of Norway that grabs our attention
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Tweets of the week: Patrick Lefevere hands out the bidons, pink sunglasses, and the kids are alright
All the action from cycling social media in the last 7 days
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Overachiever: Cameron Wurf competed in the Amstel Gold, La Flèche Wallonne and an Ironman, all in just eight days
Cameron Wurf is both a member of Team Ineos Grenadiers and an accomplished professional long course triathlete who has racked up numerous World Tour and Ironman race finishes across his career.
By Kristin Jenny Published
-
Another year, another annoying choice between Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico
The two premier stage races clashing is a continued bane for all fans of cycling, and points to a bloated sport
By Adam Becket Published
-
‘I feel lucky to be alive’: Magnus Sheffield speaks for the first time about Gino Mäder’s fatal crash
The American describes what he saw at the Tour de Suisse, eight months after the tragedy
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Tweets of the week: Geraint Thomas is still the king of dad jokes
Get your fix of the week's best cycling posts from social media
By Tom Davidson Published