Not all riders were happy with the removal of time trials and the big summit finishes which have characterised previous editions of Paris-Nice, but organisers promised the re-worked route would provide a much more open race – and so far it has done exactly that. The crashes which split the peloton on the first few stages could not have been foreseen, but they had already shattered some riders’ GC ambitions and stage four blew the race wide open.
Geraint Thomas has the overall lead, but stage winner Tom-Jelte Slagter is handily placed and John Degenkolb is still only three seconds off the pace. There is also the Astana duo of Jakob Fuglsang and Vincenzo Nibali lurking ominously just behind, on the same time as world champion Rui Costa (Lampre-Merida). Four stages remain and it looks as though this race could well go down to the wire.
