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-193km
The flag drops and stage 5 of Paris-Nice is under way. Almost immediately, Pierre Latour (TotalEnergies) lays out his intentions with an early attack.
Meanwhile, Andrea Piccolo (EF Education-EasyPost), so impressive at the Tour Colombia, has been confirmed as a non-starter today, leaving 145 riders in the race.
An early abandon: Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck) has withdrawn from Paris-Nice in the neutralised zone.
The peloton is currently navigating the 9.8km-long neutralised section. There are four category 3 climbs on the agenda today – the Col de la Sausse (2.6km at 5.2%), the Col de Peyruergue (5.3km at 4.9%), the Côte de la Rochette-du-Buis (2.3km at 5.4%) and the Col de la Pigière (2.6km at 5%) – the last of which comes 40km or so from the finish.
Luke Plapp wears the yellow jersey on today’s stage after he placed second behind Santiago Buitrago at Mont Brouilly on Wednesday.
The peloton will roll out of St Sauveur de Montagut at 11.35 CET, and they’re scheduled to hit kilometre zero at 11.55. Although the temperature is just a touch below 10°C, the skies above a serene shade of blue as the peloton gathers on the start line.
Stage 5 of Paris-Nice brings the peloton from St Sauveur de Montagut to Sisteron. On the face of it, the 193.5km stage lends itself to another mass finish. In practice, the rugged terrain en route might provide some surprises.
