Nicolas Roche hit the front of Paris-Nice for 10km in the closing stages on Saturday and put everyone under extreme pressure.
Any hopes Michael Matthews had of announcing himself to the world as much more than a sprinter or classics man by holding the Paris-Nice yellow jersey on a mountain stage were ended by Nicolas Roche on Saturday.
The Irish man is riding for Team Sky in the service of leader Geraint Thomas this week and when called on to play his part on the penultimate stage he did a massive shift on the front.
Roche took up the pace with 22km remaining and would not pull over for another 10km, his job well and truly done for the day on the 177km from Nice to La Madone d’Utelle.
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The moment he took it up the field strung out on the second last ascent – the cat 2 Cote Duranus - with Orica-GreenEdge’s Matthews going south as the Irish rider went inexorably forward.
The racing between the pre race main favourites may have only started after Roche pulled to the side of the road with exactly 12½km remaining, but he had shaped the action alone to that point save for the early breakaway.
Ilnur Zakarin (Katusha) came around Thomas for the stage win, though the Team Sky man has the yellow jersey going into Sunday's final day.
And though Alberto Contador (Saxo-Tinkoff) began attacking just after Roche’s huge turn ended with the field having moved onto the final climb, the Spaniard could not shake Thomas.
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Contador surged several times, with Team Sky still having five men at the front of the select group when no more than 25 remained.
But Thomas was good to the challenge and in the dash to the finish line up the final stretch of the incline to the summit finish he attached and distanced the impressive Contador by a couple of bike lengths.
In the end he would only put one second into his rival, and to his dismay it was Ilnur Zakarin (Katusha) who clung to his wheel and came around him for the stage win at the top of the cat 1 La Madone d'Utelle.
The victorious Russian was the only rider to stay with Thomas and Contador all the way to the finish after 5km of fantastic racing in the final; Richie Porte of BMC almost doing the same but surrendering 7 seconds in the closing couple of hundred metres.
Thomas may not have taken the stage but he is in yellow going into the final day of the race.
It involves 134km starting and finishing in Nice, with five climbs including two cat 1 ascents, the last of which is the Col d'Eze crested 16½km from the finish.
If Thomas were to hold the lead, as looks very likely, it would be Team Sky’s fourth Paris Nice victory in five years.
Bradley Wiggins was victorious in 2012 and Porte won for the team in 2013 and last year.
Expect to see Roche again to the fore on Sunday; riding on roads he knows well as he has spent most of his life in the area.
Stage 6: Nice - La Madone d’Utelle (177km)
1 Ilnur Zakarin (Rus) Team Katusha 4:45:11
2 Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky
3 Alberto Contador (Spa) Tinkoff Team 0:00:01
4 Richie Porte (Aus) BMC Racing Team 0:00:07
5 Sergio Henao (Col) Team Sky 0:00:10
6 Simon Yates (GBr) Orica-GreenEdge 0:00:20
7 Rui Costa (Por) Lampre - Merida 0:00:31
8 Romain Bardet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
9 Jon Izaguirre (Spa) Movistar Team
10 Tony Gallopin (Fra) Lotto Soudal
41 Nicolas Roche (Irl) Team Sky 0:12:04
General Classification
1 Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky 24:10:26
2 Alberto Contador (Spa) Tinkoff Team 0:00:15
3 Ilnur Zakarin (Rus) Team Katusha 0:00:20
4 Richie Porte (Aus) BMC Racing Team 0:00:21
5 Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Team Giant-Alpecin 0:00:32
6 Jon Izaguirre (Spa) Movistar Team 0:00:37
7 Sergio Henao (Col) Team Sky 0:00:39
8 Simon Yates (GBr) Orica-GreenEdge 0:00:44
9 Tony Gallopin (Fra) Lotto Soudal 0:00:51
10 Romain Bardet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:01:00
46 Nicolas Roche (Irl) Team Sky 0:17:12
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