Tom-Jelte Slagter takes second Paris-Nice stage win as Geraint Thomas crashes out of top 10
Nasty crash in final 5km of Saturday's stage sees Geraint Thomas drop well out of top 10 overall
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

Tom-Jelte Slagter (Garmin-Sharp) claimed his second stage win at this year’s Paris-Nice on a day of frenetic racing.
Carlos Betancur (Ag2r) held onto the leader’s jersey, and his main rival Geraint Thomas (Sky) suffered a nasty looking crash in the final five kilometres.
The Briton will be frustrated at having to concede his strong position in such unfortunate circumstances, but his thoughts now will turn to recovering in time for the major classics. He looked downtrodden crossing the line, but the fact he climbed back on his bike and finished the stage can only be a good sign.
Today’s winner Slagter experienced similar bad luck yesterday when a mechanical on the final climb forced him out of contention, but bounced back brilliantly today to outsprint Rui Costa (Lampre), Betancur and Jose Joaquim Rojas (Movistar) in what turned out to be relatively large group at the finish.
With better luck yesterday, Slagter would probably be in the leader’s jersey right now, but no praise should be taken away from Betancur and his team. After catching the initial breakaway (including Pim Lithgart, who moves to the top of the mountains classification), they faced relentless attacks throughout the final 35 kilometres of rolling terrain, but – with some help from Europcar - managed to contain them all.
Sylvain Chavanel was particularly determined to make an attack stick, while the Astana duo of Jakob Fuglsang and Vincenzo Nibali attempted to work over the peloton in the final stages. But nothing could prevent the race from finishing in a widely contested uphill sprint.
Tomorrow poses a different challenge for Ag2r, with five climbs all crammed into 129 kilometres of racing, including two category one climbs in the second half. With a handful of riders all within range, an exciting edition of Paris-Nice could be set for a blockbuster finish.
Results
Paris-Nice 2014, stage seven: Mougins to Biot Sophia Antipolis, 195.5km
1. Tom-Jelte Slagter (Ned) Garmin Sharp
2. Rui Costa (Por) Lampre-Merida
3. Carlos Betancur (Col) Ag2r
4. Jose Rojas(Spa) Movistar
5. Arthur Vichot (Fra) FDJ
6. Tony Gallopin (Fra) Lotto-Belisol
7. Stefan Denifl (Aut) IAM Cycling
8. Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Omega Pharma-QuickStep
9. Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana
10. Peter Velits (Svk) BMC Racing
Overall classification after stage seven
1. Carlos Betancur (Col) Ag2r
2. Rui Costa (Por) Lampre-Merida at 14 secs
3. Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Omega Pharma-QuickStep at 26 secs
4. Jose Rojas (Spa) Movistar at 27 secs
5. Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana at 29 secs
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
Stephen Puddicombe is a freelance journalist for Cycling Weekly, who regularly contributes to our World Tour racing coverage with race reports, news stories, interviews and features. Outside of cycling, he also enjoys writing about film and TV - but you won't find much of that content embedded into his CW articles.
-
-
Power vs aerodynamics: what is the best balance and how can I achieve it?
Watts and aerodynamics are two cornerstones of our cycling performance - but favoring only one will see you going slower than a more balanced approach. Here’s our guide to better optimising your speed
By Andy Turner • Published
-
Even Wout van Aert can lose his nerve: Five things we learned from the CX World Championships
Even with the absence of Tom Pidcock on the world stage, British cyclo-cross is in a good place
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
CW LIVE: Wout van Aert and Shirin van Anrooij win cyclo-cross in Koksijde; Rapha unveil EF Education kits; Police search for two suspects in Mark Cavendish robbery; Paris-Nice route announced; Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas to ride Tour Down Under
All the latest in the world of cycling
By Tom Davidson • Last updated
-
Tweets of the week: Ineos Grenadiers' three wise men, team jersey déjà vu and World Cup celebrations by bike
Here's our social media round-up, featuring a cycling all-star nativity
By Tom Davidson • Published
-
Geraint Thomas: 'I'm the best footballer at Ineos Grenadiers'
The Welsh cyclist shares his views on the World Cup, Arsenal's title chances and his own football skills
By Tom Davidson • Last updated
-
Geraint Thomas announces he will race in 2022 Commonwealth Games
The Welshman took to Twitter to reveal he will return to the event after failing to defend his road race title in 2018
By Ryan Dabbs • Published
-
Tom Pidcock and Geraint Thomas to make season debuts at Volta ao Algarve
David Gaudu, Remco Evenepoel and Tobias Foss will also race in Portugal from tomorrow
By Adam Becket • Published
-
Geraint Thomas signs new contract with Ineos Grenadiers
Welshman will remain at the team he has been with since its inaugural year of 2010, until 2023
By Adam Becket • Published
-
Geraint Thomas has bike stolen during training ride, later recovered by police
The Welshman had stopped at a cafe on the French Riviera when his bike was nicked
By Jonny Long • Published
-
Geraint Thomas set to sign new deal with Ineos Grenadiers despite 'tough' negotiations
The Welshman's current contract runs out at the end of 2021
By Ryan Dabbs • Published