Nacer Bouhanni wins stage four of Paris-Nice; Michael Matthews retains race lead
Cofidis sprinter Nacer Bouhanni sprints clear of Edward Theuns, Andre Greipel and Alexander Kristoff to win stage four of Paris-Nice
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

For the second time this week, Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis) crossed the line first at Paris-Nice, although on stage four the win wasn't taken away from him.
While he clashed shoulders with Michael Matthews (Orica-GreenEdge) and was relegated to third on stage two, the Frenchman had no-one to bump into this time as he sprinted clear of his rivals to win by a comfortable margin in Romans-sur-Isere.
The early break, which included Thomas Voeckler (Direct Energie), was caught without a problem - as is the way in such sprint stages - and the fast men's teams battled out the final kilometres.
Katusha worked hard on the front for Alexander Kristoff and Lotto-Soudal looked to set up Andre Greipel.
But it was Cofidis, with Geoffrey Soupe, Cyril Lemoine and Christophe Laporte, who took control of the final kilometres, setting Bouhanni up well for the final sprint.
Trek-Segafredo's Edward Theuns was second on the line ahead of Greipel, with Kristoff finishing fourth. Race leader Matthews secured his yellow jersey by finishing fifth on the stage.
Despite a crash, Geraint Thomas recovered to finish 11th on the stage and retain his fifth place overall. The only change in the top 10 comes as stage one winner Arnaud Démare (FDJ) abandons the race and Tim Wellens moves up to 10th.
Paris-Nice stage four, Juliénas - Romans-sur-Isere (193.5km)
1. Nacer Bouhanni (Fra) Cofidis, 4-42-29
2. Edward Theuns (Bel) Trek-Segafredo, st
3. Andre Greipel (Ger) Lotto-Soudal, st
4. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Katusha, st
5. Michael Matthews (Aus) Orica-GreenEdge, st
6. Ben Swift (GBr) Team Sky, st
7. Nikolas Maes (Bel) Etixx-Quick Step, st
8. Tony Gallopin (Fra) Lotto-Soudal, st
9. Youcef Reguigui (Alg) Dimension Data, st
10. Roy Curvers (Ned) Giant-Alpecin, st
Overall standings after stage four
1. Michael Matthews (Aus) Orica-GreenEdge, 9-41-50
2. Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Giant-Alpecin, at 14 secs
3. Patrick Bevin (NZl) Cannondale, at 19 secs
4. Ion Izagirre (Esp) Movistar
5. Geraint Thomas (GBR) Team Sky, all same time
6. Lieuwe Westra (Ned) Astana, at 24 secs
7. Dries Devenyns (Bel) IAM Cycling, at 25 secs
8. Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff, at 27 secs
9. Richie Porte (Aus) BMC, st
10. Tim Wellens (Bel) Lotto-Soudal, at 28s
Thank you for reading 10 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
Stuart Clarke is a News Associates trained journalist who has worked for the likes of the British Olympic Associate, British Rowing and the England and Wales Cricket Board, and of course Cycling Weekly. His work at Cycling Weekly has focused upon professional racing, following the World Tour races and its characters.
-
-
Bryton takes on Garmin again with new Gardia R300L radar tail light
The Taiwan-based company's new light alerts cyclists of approaching vehicles and undercuts its rivals on price
By Luke Friend • Published
-
'The apparel industry is deeply broken': US apparel company Kitsbow to close
After Presca, Velofixen, Milltag and Machines for Freedom, Kitsbow is the latest cycling apparel company to announce its end of operations this year.
By Anne-Marije Rook • Published
-
Teams target up to four races a day in relegation points scramble
For Lotto-Soudal and Cofidis, the racing is only just beginning
By Tom Davidson • Published
-
Nacer Bouhanni suffers fractured cervical vertebra after colliding with pedestrian at Tour of Turkey
The Frenchman was one of four riders involved in a crash with a pedestrian walking in the middle of the road
By Ryan Dabbs • Published
-
'There is no other option left for me': Jempy Drucker retires from cycling
Luxembourger posts emotional announcement, says he would have liked to continue in the sport
By Adam Becket • Published
-
Decathlon returns to professional cycling as Cofidis kit sponsor
Decathlon's cycling brand, Van Rysel, will be the official supplier of performance cycling apparel and activewear for the Cofidis teams
By Ryan Dabbs • Published
-
The Mayor of Nice doesn't want Paris-Nice to finish on seafront as planned
The local leader has concerns about the impact the race during the lockdown
By Tim Bonville-Ginn • Published
-
Nairo Quintana takes final stage seven as Max Schachmann hangs on for Paris-Nice overall victory
The Colombian took the summit finish victory as Schachmann survived to finish atop the GC
By Jonny Long • Published
-
‘There’s security guards, all the doors are shut': Three teams still locked down in quarantine after UAE Tour
Riders are still being held in quarantine in their hotel rooms over concerns about coronavirus at the UAE Tour.
By Alex Ballinger • Published
-
Wout Poels crashes out of Paris-Nice: taken to hospital for checks
Team Sky reports that Wout Poels has been taken to hospital after crashing on stage six of Paris-Nice while he was in second place overall
By Nigel Wynn • Published