Paris-Nice is often a good sign of who is in form for the coming season. Floyd Landis has certainly shown his potential. Many of the other Tour contenders faded as the week progressed but Landis managed, even with a weakened team of only 6 riders, to show maturity and calm to take the win. This even included a spill on the final day, but he didn’t panic and produced the finest ride of his career so far.

Tom Boonen has shown that he is the man to beat in the sprints, he has a massive engine and has made some of the other team’s fastmen look like schoolboy racers.

Elsewhere Roger Hammond has been up there in a couple of the bunch finishes and has remained consistent throughout the week, which is probably a good sign for his Classics season ahead, although the final hilly stage got the better of him and he DNFd, he was in good company for the ride back to the changing rooms though, as Tom Boonen and Prologue winner Bobby J also climbed off.

Bradley Wiggins started off well in the prologue (7th) but a crash on stage two seemed to sap his strength and he drifted away in the GC, until the final day when he produced a gutsy ride finishing only 2 minutes back on a very tough stage and moved up in the GC too. Let’s hope he can take heart from his ride and progress.

Next up is the Milan San-Remo and expect to see an exciting finish with all the fast finishers trying to get the better of Boonen.

Stage 5 result
1. Joaquin Rodriguez (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne-Illes Balears 4.43.34 (42.635 km/h)
2. Joost Posthuma (Ned) Rabobank 0.19
3. Jérôme Pineau (Fra) Bouygues Telecom 0.33
4. Matteo Carrara (Ita) Lampre-Fondital
5. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas
6. Sandy Casar (Fra) Française des Jeux
7. Erik Dekker (Ned) Rabobank
8. Frank Schleck (Lux) Team CSC
9. Christopher Horner (USA) Davitamon-Lotto
10. Cyril Dessel (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance
60. Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone @5.15
80. Roger Hammond (GBr) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team @10.35

Overall after stage 5
1. Floyd Landis (USA) Phonak Hearing Systems 24.11.04
2. Patxi Xabier Vila Errandonea (Spa) Lampre-Fondital 0.09
3. Samuel Sanchez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 1.13
4. Antonio Colom (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne-Illes Balears 1.23
5. Frank Schleck (Lux) Team CSC
6. José Azevedo (Por) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 1.35
7. Haimar Zubeldia (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 1.37
8. Pietro Caucchioli (Ita) Credit Agricole 1.39
9. José Luis Rubiera (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 1.40
10. Erik Dekker (Ned) Rabobank 1.41

Stage 6 result
1. Andrey Kashechkin (Kaz) Liberty Seguros-Würth Team 4.12.08 (42.596 km/h)
2. Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 1.06
3. Sandy Casar (Fra) Française des Jeux 1.11
4. Thomas Voeckler (Fra) Bouygues Telecom
5. David Moncoutie (Fra) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone
6. Jurgen Van De Walle (Bel) Quick Step-Innergetic
7. Evgeni Petrov (Rus) Lampre-Fondital
8. Matteo Carrara (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 1.33
9. Tomas Vaitkus (Ltu) AG2R Prevoyance
10. Frank Schleck (Lux) Team CSC
61. Roger Hammond (GBr) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team @6.49
78. Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone @12.19

Overall after stage 6
1. Floyd Landis (USA) Phonak Hearing Systems 28.24.45
2. Patxi Xabier Vila Errandonea (Spa) Lampre-Fondital 0.09
3. Samuel Sanchez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 1.13
4. Antonio Colom (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne-Illes Balears 1.23
5. Frank Schleck (Lux) Team CSC
6. José Azevedo (Por) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 1.35
7. Pietro Caucchioli (Ita) Credit Agricole 1.39
8. José Luis Rubiera (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 1.40
9. Erik Dekker (Ned) Rabobank 1.41
10. Christopher Horner (USA) Davitamon-Lotto 1.43

Stage 7 result
1. Marcus Zberg (Swi) Gerolsteiner 3.29.38 (38.638 km/h)
2. Evgeni Petrov (Rus) Lampre-Fondital
3. Alberto Contador (Spa) Liberty Seguros-Würth Team
4. Antonio Colom (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne-Illes Balears
5. Joaquin Rodriguez (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne-Illes Balears 0.16
6. Sandy Casar (Fra) Française des Jeux 0.18
7. Erik Dekker (Ned) Rabobank
8. Matteo Carrara (Ita) Lampre-Fondital
9. Linus Gerdemann (Ger) T-Mobile Team
10. Cyril Dessel (Fra) AG2R Prevoyance
52. Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 2.07
DNF Roger Hammond

Final Overall
1. Floyd Landis (USA) Phonak Hearing Systems 31.54.41
2. Patxi Xabier Vila Errandonea (Spa) Lampre-Fondital 0.09
3. Antonio Colom (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne-Illes Balears 1.05
4. Samuel Sanchez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi 1.13
5. Frank Schleck (Lux) Team CSC 1.22
6. José Azevedo (Por) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 1.35
7. Erik Dekker (Ned) Rabobank 1.38
8. Pietro Caucchioli (Ita) Credit Agricole 1.39
9. José Luis Rubiera (Spa) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 1.40
10. Christopher Horner (USA) Davitamon-Lotto 1.43
71. Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Cofidis, le Credit par Telephone 40.33