Roche pictured today before the start of stage 5. (Photo by Paddy Sweeney velopeloton.com)
Nicolas Roche has lost time on today’s fifth stage of Paris-Nice as the field split on the final climb to the finish in Mende.
The Irishman came home in 34th place, 1:17 down on the surprise summit finish winner Lieuwe Westra (Vacansoleil).
Despite Roche’s time loss today he has moved up five places to 22nd overall, 4:27 behind overall leader Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky).
With five climbs today before the first category ascent to the Mende finish, it was still a large peloton that reached the lower slopes of that final climb in tact.
The hill was relatively short, at just 3km, but it was steep. Immediately the road went up the field, with 175kms already in their legs, simply disintegrated.
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While Team Sky took something of a back seat in closing down the day’s early escape, once the final climb commenced it was Richie Porte who went to the front and did the damage.
He rode hard with Wiggins in his wheel well into the last kilometre, with a group of no more than fifteen left when they went under the red kite.
Roche was one of those already distanced and was battling behind the lead group to limit his losses as best he could.
Just as Porte had tired, Wiggins took over at the front, anxious to keep the pace high so the likes of GC challengers Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) and Levi Leipheimer (Omega Pharma-Quick) would not attack.
Wiggins looked as if he was going to keep the select group strung out until the finish, but Westra sprung from the group twiddling a tiny gear and quickly opened a gap of around 100 metres just 600 metres from the line.
While Wiggins kept driving all the way after him, the gap to Westra didn’t close.
The Dutchman kept his effort going to take a fine stage win; the only blot on his copybook being his overly relaxed victory salute.
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Had he kept pedalling hard to the line he may have taken the GC lead from Wiggins, or would have at least closed the GC gap to the Briton to one or two seconds and not the six seconds he still finds himself in arrears in second overall.
Valverde led in the small chasing group six seconds after Westra, with Wiggins third on the same time.
Roche came over the line 1:17 down in 34th place, looking as if he had put in a massive effort up the climb.
With today’s queen stage now behind the riders, there remain five climbs tomorrow – one second cat and four third cats – on the 176.5km stage to Sisteron.
On Saturday the riders have another hilly one on the 219.5km run into Nice. There are three climbs in the first half of the stage – two second cats and a third cat – before the first category ascent of the Col de Vence, crested some 55km from the finish.
On Sunday the race concludes with a 9.6km TT from Nice up the first cat Col d’Eze. No rest for the weary.
Paris-Nice Stage 5 Result
1 Lieuwe Westra (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM 4:52:46
2 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar Team 0:00:06
3 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky Procycling
4 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Omega Pharma-Quick Step
5 Simon Spilak (Slo) Katusha Team
6 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre - ISD 0:00:16
7 Arnold Jeannesson (Fra) FDJ-Bigmat
8 Sylvester Szmyd (Pol) Liquigas-Cannondale 0:00:24
9 Rigoberto Uran Uran (Col) Sky Procycling
10 Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Team Europcar 0:00:30
34 Nicolas Roche (Irl) Ag2R La Mondiale 0:01:17
General Classification
1 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky Procycling 18:23:40
2 Lieuwe Westra (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM 0:00:06
3 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Omega Pharma-Quick Step 0:00:10
4 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar Team 0:00:18
5 Simon Spilak (Slo) Katusha Team 0:00:37
6 Tejay Van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team 0:00:39
7 Maxime Monfort (Bel) RadioShack-Nissan 0:00:46
8 Arnold Jeannesson (Fra) FDJ-Bigmat 0:01:06
9 Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Omega Pharma-Quick Step 0:01:16
10 Robert Kiserlovski (Cro) Astana Pro Team 0:01:21
22 Nicolas Roche (Irl) Ag2R La Mondiale 0:04:27
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