Geraint Thomas (Sky) has moved into the overall lead at Paris-Nice after finishing second on the fourth stage to Dutchman Tom Jelte Slagter (Garmin-Sharp).
The Welshman countered a move from Slagter on the short but steep final climb of the Cote du Mont Brouilly with 13km to race, and the pair held off the fast finishing remnants of the peloton by five seconds on the line in Belleville.
Slagter pipped Thomas to the line, but it is the Sky rider who now leads the classification by three seconds from previous yellow jersey holder John Degenkolb (Giant-Shimano).
Thomas took over last minute leadership duties at Paris-Nice after defending champion Richie Porte swapped to race Tirreno-Adriatico following the late withdrawal of Chris Froome.
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.
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