Col d’Eze, Paris-Nice, stage seven

The list of champions crowned on the 9.6km ascent of the Col d’Eze reads like a who’s who of cycling’s greats. Eddy Merckx, Sir Bradley Wiggins, Miguel Indurain and Sean Kelly are just some of the legends to have won atop the picturesque summit, just a stone’s throw from Nice and overlooking the Mediterranean. The famous time trial returned to Paris-Nice last year for the first time since 1995, and was retained for 2013 – the short, sharp climb containing ramps of up to 8.5 per cent gradient in its early kilometres.

And this year’s race saw another worthy champion crowned at its summit – Australian Richie Porte (Team Sky), who trains on the local roads. Although his year may be better remembered for his work as domestique to Chris Froome, Porte earned success in his own right at Paris-Nice, secured with his impressive time trial in the final stage. Having won on Montagne de Lure to set himself up for a shot at the overall win, Porte clocked 19’20” – just four seconds shy of the record established by 2012 winner, Sir Bradley Wiggins, the previous year. The time was 23 seconds faster than his nearest challenger Andrew Talansky (Garmin-Sharp), and earned Porte a richly-deserved overall victory.