2012 Paris–Nice

2012 Paris–Nice 2012 UCI World Tour 2 28 Paris-Nice 2012.png The route of the 2012 Paris–Nice 300px 4–11 March 2012 8 1155.5 km 28h 12' 16" Bradley Wiggins SKY 2012 GBR yellow Lieuwe Westra VCD 2012 NED Alejandro Valverde MOV 2012 ESP Frederik Veuchelen VCD 2012 BEL polkadot Bradley Wiggins SKY 2012 GBR green Tejay van Garderen BMC 2012 USA white VCD 2012 2011 2013 The 2012 Paris–Nice was the 70th running of the Paris–Nice cycling stage race, often known as the Race to the Sun. It started on 4 March in Dampierre-en-Yvelines and ended on 11 March in Nice and consisted of eight stages, including two time trials that bookended the race. It was the second race of the 2012 UCI World Tour season. The race was won by Great Britain's Bradley Wiggins of SKY 2012, who took the lead on the second stage of the race and held the race leader's yellow jersey to the finish, becoming the first British rider to win the race since Tom Simpson in 1967.https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5g2d5cWgh13mqXsrTriLzfcEYosxw?docId=CNG.084ad1a5035dbc689c847bd432bb002a.6e1 https://archive.today/20121209204208/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5g2d5cWgh13mqXsrTriLzfcEYosxw?docId=CNG.084ad1a5035dbc689c847bd432bb002a.6e1 dead December 9, 2012 Wiggins first British Paris–Nice victor in 45 years Google News Google Inc. 11 March 2012 11 March 2012 Agence France-Presse Wiggins also took home the green jersey for amassing the highest number of points during stages at intermediate sprints and stage finishes.http://www.sportinglife.com/others/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=cycling/12/03/11/manual_142807.html&BID=678 Jonathan Turner 11 March 2012 11 March 2012 Sporting Life 365 Media Group Ltd. Wiggins wins Paris–NiceApril 2019 InternetArchiveBot yes Wiggins won the general classification by eight seconds over runner-up Lieuwe Westra (VCD 2012), who was winner of the race's queen stage to Mende.https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/mar/11/bradley-wiggins-wins-paris-nice Bradley Wiggins wins Paris–Nice The Guardian 11 March 2012 11 March 2012 Reuters MOV 2012's Alejandro Valverde completed the podium, 62 seconds behind Westra and 70 seconds down on Wiggins. In the race's other classifications, Tejay van Garderen of BMC 2012 won the white jersey for the highest placed rider born in 1987 or later by placing fifth overall in the general classification,Wiggins not so easy on Eze http://www.letour.fr/2012/PNC/LIVE/us/800/journal_etape.html Paris–Nice Amaury Sport Organisation 11 March 2012 11 March 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120310225232/http://www.letour.fr/2012/PNC/LIVE/us/800/journal_etape.html 10 March 2012 dead dmy-all while VCD 2012 yes rider Frederik Veuchelen won the King of the Mountains classification. VCD 2012 yes also finished at the head of the teams classification at the end of a fruitful week for the team, in which their riders also claimed three stage victories. Teams As Paris–Nice was a UCI World Tour event, all 18 UCI ProTeams were invited automatically and obligated to send a squad. Four other squads were given wildcard places into the race,https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/paris-nice-2012-wildcards-announced Paris-Nice 2012 wildcards announced Cycling News 18 January 2012 4 March 2012 and as such, formed the event's 22-team peloton. The 22 teams that competed in the race were:Teams http://www.letour.fr/2012/PNC/COURSE/us/equipes.html Paris–Nice Amaury Sport Organisation 29 February 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120219003232/http://www.letour.fr/2012/PNC/COURSE/us/equipes.html 19 February 2012 dead dmy-all 18em ALM 2012 AST 2012 BMC 2012 COF 2012 EUC 2012 EUS 2012 FDJ 2012 GRM 2012a GEC 2012a KAT 2012 LAM 2012 LIQ 2012 LTB 2012 MOV 2012 OPQ 2012 SKS 2012a RAB 2012 RNT 2012 SAU 2012 SAX 2012a SKY 2012 VCD 2012 Route +Stage characteristics and winnershttps://www.bikeraceinfo.com/stageraces/ParisNice/2012-paris-nice.html 2012 Paris - Nice (World Tour), France BikeRaceInfo 27 August 2024 Stage Date Course Distance Type Winner 1 4 March Dampierre-en-Yvelines to Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse 9.4 km on 20px|link=|alt= Individual time trial Gustav Larsson SWE 2 5 March Mantes-la-Jolie to Orléans 185.5 km on 20px|link=|alt= Flat stage Tom Boonen BEL 3 6 March Vierzon to Lac de Vassivière 194 km on 20px|link=|alt= Hilly stage Alejandro Valverde ESP 4 7 March Brive-la-Gaillarde to Rodez 178 km on 20px|link=|alt= Hilly stage Gianni Meersman BEL 5 8 March Onet-le-Château to Mende 178.5 km on 20px|link=|alt= Medium mountain stage Lieuwe Westra NED 6 9 March Suze-la-Rousse to Sisteron 178.5 km on 20px|link=|alt= Hilly stage Luis León Sánchez ESP 7 10 March Sisteron to Nice 219.5 km on 20px|link=|alt= Medium mountain stage Thomas De Gendt BEL 8 11 March Nice to Col d'Èze 9.6 km on 20px|link=|alt= Individual time trial Bradley Wiggins GBR Stages Stage 1 thumb|Stage profile 4 March 2012 — Dampierre-en-Yvelines to Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse, 9.4 km 1 on (ITT)Stage 1: Dampierre-en-Yvelines to Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse http://www.letour.fr/2012/PNC/COURSE/us/100/etape_par_etape.html Paris–Nice Amaury Sport Organisation 4 March 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120303101007/http://www.letour.fr/2012/PNC/COURSE/us/100/etape_par_etape.html 3 March 2012 dead dmy-all The race began in the Vallée de Chevreuse for the first time,D−4: Paris–Nice News http://www.letour.fr/2012/PNC/COURSE/us/actus.html#zone185233 Paris–Nice Amaury Sport Organisation 5 March 2012 29 February 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120314180717/http://www.letour.fr/2012/PNC/COURSE/us/actus.html#zone185233 14 March 2012 dead dmy-all as it reverted to an opening individual time trial stage after race organisers elected to run a road stage first in 2011. Apart from the third-category climb of the Côte des Dix-sept Tournants – the hill of seventeen turns – the stage was relatively flat, dropping only 9 m ft in altitude from the start, to the end. With rain expected to disrupt the stage, teams decided to spread their time trial specialists across the field in order to maximise their potential of winning the stage.https://www.cyclingnews.com/races/paris-nice-2012/stage-1/results Gustav Erik Larsson takes opening stage Cycling News 4 March 2012 5 March 2012 Daniel Benson For the first rider to depart the start in Dampierre-en-Yvelines, SUN 2012a's Alexandre Geniez, weather conditions were cloudy and grey,https://www.velowire.com/article/569/en/paris-nice-2012--larsson-time-trial-specialist-in-the-vallee-de-chevreuse.html Larsson time trial specialist in the Vallée de Chevreuse Velowire Thomas Vergouwen 4 March 2012 5 March 2012 with slightly damp roads due to overnight rains.http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/11295/Gustav-Larsson-flies-to-rain-affected-Paris-Nice-time-trial-victory.aspx Gustav Larsson flies to rain-affected Paris–Nice time trial victory Ben Atkins VeloNation 4 March 2012 5 March 2012 He ultimately recorded a time of 12' 10" for the stage. thumb|Bradley Wiggins finished second to Gustav Larsson by one second on the stage, despite encountering wet conditions. Geniez held the lead for all of a few minutes as Denis Menchov (KAT 2012) improved upon his time by eight seconds, before GRM 2012a rider Thomas Dekker was the first rider to set a time below twelve minutes, recording a time of 11' 56"; a six-second improvement on Menchov's time. Michael Mørkøv (SAX 2012a), and later Maarten Wynants (RAB 2012) both improved upon Dekker's time, but by the end of the first wave of riders to depart,http://www.grassyknolltv.com/2012/paris-nice/Heures_de_depart_CLM.pdf 3 March 2012 5 March 2012 Horaire de départ du CLM: dimanche 4 mars 2012 fr Departure times of ITT: Sunday, March 4, 2012 Steephill Grassy Knoll it was OPQ 2012 and Sylvain Chavanel that held the lead, recording a time of 11' 31". Following a quick start to the stage, VCD 2012's Thomas De Gendt was the next rider to hold the provisional best time on the stage, besting Chavanel's time by less than a second.https://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest/531996/wiggins-second-in-paris-nice-opening-time-trial.html Wiggins second in Paris–Nice opening time trial 4 March 2012 5 March 2012 Nigel Wynn Cycling Weekly IPC Media Limited De Gendt, who won the opening stage of the race in 2011, ultimately picked up the polka-dot jersey for the lead in the mountains classification, as he held the quickest time to the intermediate timing point, at the summit of the Côte des Dix-sept Tournants. De Gendt's time held for a while, as riders struggled to match the pace that he had set, with only Markel Irizar of RNT 2012 coming within touching distance of his time, finishing one second down. It was not until De Gendt's VCD 2012 yes team-mate Gustav Larsson – the Swedish national champion in the discipline – that his time was beaten; Larsson, although six seconds slower than De Gendt to the intermediate checkpoint, put in a better second element to the race, eventually crossing the finish line in an eventual stage-winning time of 11' 19".http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/03/news/gustav-erik-larsson-wins-paris-nice-opener_208037 Gustav Erik Larsson wins Paris–Nice opener VeloNews 4 March 2012 5 March 2012 OPQ 2012 yes also deployed Levi Leipheimer in the first half of riders to complete the course, and did so in a time four seconds slower than Larsson.http://www.omegapharma-quickstep.com/en/news/show/leipheimer-on-the-podium-after-paris-nice-stage-1/238 Leipheimer On the Podium After Paris–Nice Stage 1 OPQ 2012 Decolef 4 March 2012 5 March 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20131202232930/http://www.omegapharma-quickstep.com/en/news/show/leipheimer-on-the-podium-after-paris-nice-stage-1/238 2013-12-02 dead The weather closed in for the last batch of riders, providing a tougher test for those riders in wanting to position themselves highly in the stage classification. BMC 2012's Tejay van Garderen and SKY 2012's Bradley Wiggins both attacked the course late on, and were rewarded with finishes inside the top five, as van Garderen finished nine seconds down on Larsson, while Wiggins – a winner of the time trial stage in February's Volta ao Algarve – fell short by just one second, but ensured he had an advantage of 24 seconds on defending race-winner and world time trial champion Tony Martin (OPQ 2012 yes), who could only finish 28th.https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/others/cycling-wiggins-set-fair-for-parisnice-after-second-place-in-the-rain-7536411.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/others/cycling-wiggins-set-fair-for-parisnice-after-second-place-in-the-rain-7536411.html 2022-05-01 subscription Wiggins set fair for Paris–Nice after second place in the rain 5 March 2012 5 March 2012 The Independent Alasdair Fotheringham Alasdair Fotheringham Stage 1 Result and General Classification after Stage 1 RiderTeamTime 1 Gustav Larsson SWE 20px|Yellow jersey20px|Green jersey VAC 2012 11' 19" 2 Bradley Wiggins GBR SKY 2012 + 1" 3 Levi Leipheimer USA OPQ 2012 + 4" 4 Tejay van Garderen USA 20px|White jersey BMC 2012 + 9" 5 Thomas De Gendt BEL 20px|Polkadot jersey VAC 2012 + 12" 6 Sylvain Chavanel FRA OPQ 2012 + 12" 7 Rein Taaramäe EST COF 2012 + 13" 8 Markel Irizar ESP RNT 2012 + 13" 9 Rémi Pauriol FRA FDJ 2012 + 15" 10 Jérôme Coppel FRA SAU 2012 + 15" Stage 2 thumb|Stage profile 5 March 2012 — Mantes-la-Jolie to Orléans, 185.5 km 1 onStage 2: Mantes-la-Jolie to Orléans http://www.letour.fr/2012/PNC/COURSE/us/200/etape_par_etape.html Paris–Nice Amaury Sport Organisation 4 March 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120222080004/http://www.letour.fr/2012/PNC/COURSE/us/200/etape_par_etape.html 22 February 2012 dead dmy-all Following his crash in the opening day time trial, SAX 2012a's Nick Nuyens became the race's first abandonment; he attempted to ride through the pain barrier, but had to withdraw within the neutralised zone prior to the real start of the stage.http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/11301/Setback-for-Nuyens-Flanders-preparation-as-Belgian-withdraws-from-Paris-Nice.aspx Setback for Nuyens' Flanders preparation as Belgian withdraws from Paris–Nice VeloNation 5 March 2012 6 March 2012 The peloton itself remained together for the first third of the race, as strong headwinds counteracted against the field and did not allow for any breakaways to be formed efficiently. As such, Olivier Kaisen was the first to make a move for LTB 2012, attacking as the field moved through the commune of Rambouillet.https://www.cyclingnews.com/races/paris-nice-2012/stage-2/results Tom Boonen wins in Orléans Daniel Benson Cycling News 5 March 2012 6 March 2012 Kaisen managed to extend his advantage out by almost three minutes when he reached the summit of the day's only categorised climb, in Les Granges-le-Roi. Mountains classification leader Thomas De Gendt (VCD 2012) placed second, with Sylvain Chavanel third for OPQ 2012. thumb|The closing sprint: Tom Boonen (OPQ 2012) leads John Degenkolb (hidden behind Boonen, SUN 2012a) and José Joaquín Rojas (MOV 2012) in Orléans. As the field reached the midway point of the stage, the windy conditions that had earlier plagued any potential breakaway from forming returned, and the crosswinds provided a large split in the field and echelons forming within it.http://www.uci.ch/Modules/ENews/ENewsDetails.asp?id=NzkzMw&MenuId=MTI2Mjc First echelon in Paris–Nice Union Cycliste Internationale 5 March 2012 6 March 2012 By the time that the race had been finished, around thirty riders had made it in the lead group on the road, including overall contenders Bradley Wiggins of SKY 2012, OPQ 2012 yes's Levi Leipheimer and BMC 2012 rider Tejay van Garderen.http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/11303/Tom-Boonen-sprints-to-Paris-Nice-stage-two-as-the-wind-blows-Gustav-Larsson-away.aspx Tom Boonen sprints to Paris–Nice stage two as the wind blows Gustav Larsson away Ben Atkins VeloNation 5 March 2012 6 March 2012 The group was later reduced to 21 riders out front after several small crashes eliminated a handful of riders from contention. Wiggins put more time into his rivals by taking the intermediate sprint, and with it, three bonus seconds on offer that gave him the virtual race lead, without even considering the fact that the overnight leader Gustav Larsson (VCD 2012 yes) failed to make the split. The gap from the lead pack to the first group of pursuers remained between two and two-and-a-half minutes for the rest of stage with many teams electing not to bridge the gap, mainly due to the rain that had commenced within the closing 25 km 1 on. Larsson's team-mate Lieuwe Westra attacked with around 4 km 1 on remaining, but his effort was quickly neutralised by Chavanel, one of a number of OPQ 2012 yes riders in the group hoping to help Tom Boonen in a sprint finish lead-out. Following another failed attack from GRM 2012a rider Andreas Klier, it was left to the sprinters to battle it out for the stage honours. SUN 2012a's John Degenkolb – who had recovered to the group after a puncture with 30 km 1 on remaining – was the first to make an attempt for the line, closely followed by José Joaquín Rojas (MOV 2012), but both were out-sprinted by Boonen, who went to the inside of Degenkolb and took out the victory, for the 100th individual victory of his career,http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/03/news/boonen-100th-career-win-isnt-as-important-as-being-healthy-again_208188 Boonen: 100th career win isn't as important as being healthy again VeloNews 5 March 2012 6 March 2012 Andrew Hood 7 March 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120307235603/http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/03/news/boonen-100th-career-win-isnt-as-important-as-being-healthy-again_208188 dead and his team's first at UCI World Tour level.http://www.omegapharma-quickstep.com/en/news/show/boonen-gets-100th-win-team-earns-first-world-tour-win/246 Boonen Gets 100th Win, Team Earns First World Tour Win OPQ 2012 Decolef 5 March 2012 6 March 2012 https://archive.today/20130131022057/http://www.omegapharma-quickstep.com/en/news/show/boonen-gets-100th-win-team-earns-first-world-tour-win/246 2013-01-31 dead Rojas just beat Degenkolb for second place on the line with Sep Vanmarcke and Francesco Gavazzi rounding out the top five for GRM 2012a yes and AST 2012 respectively. Following his finish in the lead group, Wiggins assumed the overall lead from Larsson,https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/17261475 Bradley Wiggins takes lead in Paris–Nice race BBC Sport 5 March 2012 6 March 2012 with Boonen taking the points classification lead while moving into third place overall behind team-mate Leipheimer, thanks to the bonus seconds on offer at the finish. Stage 2 result RiderTeamTime 1 Tom Boonen BEL OPQ 2012 4h 22' 15" 2 José Joaquín Rojas ESP MOV 2012 s.t. 3 John Degenkolb GER SUN 2012a s.t. 4 Sep Vanmarcke BEL GRM 2012a s.t. 5 Francesco Gavazzi ITA AST 2012 s.t. 6 Ángel Vicioso ESP KAT 2012 s.t. 7 Maxime Monfort BEL RNT 2012 s.t. 8 Taylor Phinney USA BMC 2012 s.t. 9 Alejandro Valverde ESP MOV 2012 s.t. 10 Geraint Thomas GBR SKY 2012 s.t.General Classification after Stage 2 RiderTeamTime 1 Bradley Wiggins GBR 20px|Yellow jersey SKY 2012 4h 33' 32" 2 Levi Leipheimer USA OPQ 2012 + 6" 3 Tom Boonen BEL 20px|Green jersey OPQ 2012 + 7" 4 Tejay van Garderen USA 20px|White jersey BMC 2012 + 11" 5 Sylvain Chavanel FRA OPQ 2012 + 14" 6 Maxime Monfort BEL RNT 2012 + 18" 7 Taylor Phinney USA BMC 2012 + 21" 8 Lieuwe Westra NED VCD 2012 + 22" 9 Geraint Thomas GBR SKY 2012 + 28" 10 José Joaquín Rojas ESP MOV 2012 + 29" Stage 3 thumb|Stage profile 6 March 2012 — Vierzon to Lac de Vassivière, 194 km 1 onStage 3: Vierzon to Le Lac de Vassivière http://www.letour.fr/2012/PNC/COURSE/us/300/etape_par_etape.html Paris–Nice Amaury Sport Organisation 4 March 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120303100754/http://www.letour.fr/2012/PNC/COURSE/us/300/etape_par_etape.html 3 March 2012 dead dmy-all A trio of riders – SUN 2012a's Roy Curvers, SAU 2012 rider Jimmy Engoulvent and Michael Mørkøv of SAX 2012a – made the early breakaway from the field, and managed to extend their advantage to the main field to over four-and-a-half minutes at one point during the stage, before eventually stabilising at the 4' 30" mark for the majority of the stage.http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/11310/Alejandro-Valverde-wins-tight-sprint-to-take-Paris-Nice-stage-three.aspx Alejandro Valverde wins tight sprint to take Paris–Nice stage three VeloNation 6 March 2012 7 March 2012 Ben Atkins SKY 2012 and OPQ 2012 riders occupied the front portion of the peloton, protecting their respective lead riders Bradley Wiggins and Levi Leipheimer in order to not lose time before the final climb at Lac de Vassivière.https://www.cyclingnews.com/races/paris-nice-2012/stage-3/results Barry Ryan 6 March 2012 7 March 2012 Cycling News Alejandro Valverde wins in Lac de Vassivièrehttp://www.omegapharma-quickstep.com/en/news/show/team-protects-paris-nice-gc-riders/253 6 March 2012 7 March 2012 OPQ 2012 Decolef Team Protects Paris–Nice GC Riders https://archive.today/20120907104531/http://www.omegapharma-quickstep.com/en/news/show/team-protects-paris-nice-gc-riders/253 2012-09-07 dead The pack, now fronted by the MOV 2012, steadily cut into the lead for the three escapees, who reached the categorised climb of the Côte de Bourganeuf with an advantage of less than three minutes. Curvers crested the summit first, but posed no threat to the mountains classification leader Thomas De Gendt (VCD 2012), who kept a hold of the polka-dot jersey. After the climb, the peloton lifted the pace and cut into the leaders' advantage, trimming off two minutes within the space of 10 km 1 on. Engoulvent left his two breakaway companions behind with 14 km 1 on remaining, as OPQ 2012 yes hit the front of the peloton, this time with points classification leader Tom Boonen doing some of the legwork. Engoulvent held his slim lead through the intermediate sprint at Peyrat-le-Château, before being engulfed by the field with 6 km 1 on to go.http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/03/news/valverde-holds-off-gerrans-at-paris-nice_208259 Valverde holds off Gerrans at Paris–Nice Andrew Hood 6 March 2012 7 March 2012 VeloNews Competitor Group, Inc. 8 March 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120308095416/http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/03/news/valverde-holds-off-gerrans-at-paris-nice_208259 dead VCD 2012 yes rider Sergey Lagutin attacked with 4 km 1 on to go – just as team-mate Lieuwe Westra did the previous day – but was unsuccessful, and was eventually caught just before the final kilometre of the stage. Westra attacked but was covered off immediately, setting up the uphill sprint to the line. French pair Blel Kadri (ALM 2012) and Jérémie Galland (SAU 2012 yes) both launched their attacks in the closing stages,Valverde's perfect move http://www.letour.fr/2012/PNC/LIVE/us/300/journal_etape.html Paris–Nice Amaury Sport Organisation 6 March 2012 7 March 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120308201439/http://www.letour.fr/2012/PNC/LIVE/us/300/journal_etape.html 8 March 2012 dead dmy-all but were overhauled by a bunch of riders from which Alejandro Valverde (MOV 2012 yes) looked to have the legs on the rest of the field, sprinting from 300 m on out. Valverde was briefly troubled by the sprint of Australian road race champion Simon Gerrans (GEC 2012a), with Valverde ultimately prevailing at the line – just as was the case at the Tour Down Under in a two-up sprintIn-form Valverde wins Paris–Nice third stage https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i9tiiHctgXK8OswUWVPcuPYf3p-A?docId=CNG.ea6339254f924ac9eb10504ea501bd52.201 https://web.archive.org/web/20140226120335/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i9tiiHctgXK8OswUWVPcuPYf3p-A?docId=CNG.ea6339254f924ac9eb10504ea501bd52.201 dead February 26, 2014 Google News Google Inc. Agence France-Presse 6 March 2012 7 March 2012 – by half a wheel length, with LTB 2012's Gianni Meersman rounding out the podium ahead of RAB 2012's Luis León Sánchez and KAT 2012's Xavier Florencio; both of whom had launched their own attacks in the closing metres. Valverde's victory – his fourth of the season since returning from a doping ban – was enough to move him into the lead of the points classification, while the bonus seconds awarded on the line moved him into sixth place overall, 20 seconds down on race leader Wiggins.https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling-road/17276955 https://web.archive.org/web/20120307005437/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling-road/17276955 dead March 7, 2012 Bradley Wiggins retains Paris–Nice yellow jersey BBC Sport 6 March 2012 7 March 2012 Stage 3 result RiderTeamTime 1 Alejandro Valverde ESP MOV 2012 4h 36' 19" 2 Simon Gerrans AUS GEC 2012a s.t. 3 Gianni Meersman BEL LTB 2012 s.t. 4 Luis León Sánchez ESP RAB 2012 s.t. 5 Xavier Florencio ESP KAT 2012 s.t. 6 Eros Capecchi ITA LIQ 2012 s.t. 7 Maxime Monfort BEL RNT 2012 s.t. 8 Jonathan Hivert FRA SAU 2012 s.t. 9 Francesco Gavazzi ITA AST 2012 s.t. 10 Lieuwe Westra NED VCD 2012 s.t.General Classification after Stage 3 RiderTeamTime 1 Bradley Wiggins GBR 20px|Yellow jersey SKY 2012 9h 09' 51" 2 Levi Leipheimer USA OPQ 2012 + 6" 3 Tejay van Garderen USA 20px|White jersey BMC 2012 + 11" 4 Sylvain Chavanel FRA OPQ 2012 + 14" 5 Maxime Monfort BEL RNT 2012 + 18" 6 Alejandro Valverde ESP 20px|Green jersey MOV 2012 + 20" 7 Lieuwe Westra NED VCD 2012 + 22" 8 José Joaquín Rojas ESP MOV 2012 + 29" 9 Simon Špilak SLO KAT 2012 + 33" 10 Robert Kišerlovski CRO AST 2012 + 36" Stage 4 thumb|Stage profile 7 March 2012 — Brive-la-Gaillarde to Rodez, 178 km 1 onStage 4: Brive-la-Gaillarde to Rodez http://www.letour.fr/2012/PNC/COURSE/us/400/etape_par_etape.html Paris–Nice Amaury Sport Organisation 4 March 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120303095419/http://www.letour.fr/2012/PNC/COURSE/us/400/etape_par_etape.html 3 March 2012 dead dmy-all A quintet of riders – ALM 2012's Jean-Christophe Péraud, FDJ 2012 rider Pierrick Fédrigo, Leigh Howard of GEC 2012a, LTB 2012's Bart De Clercq and COF 2012 rider Luis Ángel Maté – made the early breakaway from the field, and managed to extend their advantage over the main field to in excess of five minutes at one point during the stage.https://www.cyclingnews.com/races/paris-nice-2012/stage-4/results Gianni Meersman wins in Rodez Daniel Benson Cycling News 7 March 2012 8 March 2012 As such, the riders between them managed to take all sub-classification points on offer during the stage, at the single intermediate sprint – coming after 142 km 1 on at Saint-Cyprien-sur-Dourdou – and the first three of the five categorised climbs during the stage. Their advantage out front dwindled quickly as the peloton – led by RAB 2012 and LAM 2012 – gathered pace, leaving the breakaway with just 90 seconds of a lead out front with around 40 km 1 on to go. 15 km 1 on later, Maté sat up with cramping in his knee – stemming from a crash in Stage 2 – having already wrested the lead of the mountains classification away from Thomas De Gendt (VCD 2012). The peloton picked up the pace again, with OPQ 2012 on the front, and the remaining members of the breakaway were caught a short time later.http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/11315/Gianni-Meersman-times-it-right-to-take-Paris-Nice-stage-four.aspx Gianni Meersman times it right to take Paris–Nice stage four VeloNation 7 March 2012 8 March 2012 Ben Atkins De Gendt himself attacked on the penultimate climb, the Côte d'Aubert le Crès, to limit the points gap between himself and Maté, picking up the four points on offer for reaching the summit first and reducing his gap to Maté to eight points. After a short period off the front of the field, De Gendt was caught by a small gruppetto of riders and ultimately the rest of the field moments later, with the MOV 2012 and SKY 2012 squads making moves in order to get their respective classification leaders Alejandro Valverde and Bradley Wiggins in safe positions for the run to Rodez. Andreas Klöden tried to go clear inside the final 2 km 1 on for RNT 2012, taking top points at the final climb, but was caught with around 500 m on to go.Meersman from third to first http://www.letour.fr/2012/PNC/LIVE/us/400/journal_etape.html Paris–Nice Amaury Sport Organisation 7 March 2012 8 March 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120309182734/http://www.letour.fr/2012/PNC/LIVE/us/400/journal_etape.html 9 March 2012 dead dmy-all The easing gradient into Rodez set up a sprint to the line with LAM 2012 yes's Grega Bole launching early, but was eventually passed by LTB 2012 yes rider Gianni Meersman, who was third the previous day. Meersman held on to win ahead of Bole and VCD 2012 yes's Lieuwe Westra,https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling-road/17292007 https://web.archive.org/web/20120308060937/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling-road/17292007 dead March 8, 2012 Bradley Wiggins maintains lead in Paris–Nice 7 March 2012 8 March 2012 BBC Sporthttps://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/others/cycling-wiggins-guards-his-nice-lead-7544597.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/others/cycling-wiggins-guards-his-nice-lead-7544597.html 2022-05-01 subscription live Wiggins guards his Nice lead 8 March 2012 8 March 2012 The Independent Associated Press whose bonus seconds on the line enabled him to surpass Valverde for sixth place in the general classification. Other than Maté assuming the mountains lead from De Gendt, none of the other jerseys changed hands as Wiggins, Valverde and Tejay van Garderen (BMC 2012) all finished safely in the pack. Stage 4 result RiderTeamTime 1 Gianni Meersman BEL LTB 2012 4h 21' 01" 2 Grega Bole SLO LAM 2012 s.t. 3 Lieuwe Westra NED VCD 2012 s.t. 4 Xavier Florencio ESP KAT 2012 s.t. 5 Jonathan Hivert FRA SAU 2012 s.t. 6 Simon Geschke GER SUN 2012a s.t. 7 Nicolas Roche IRL ALM 2012 s.t. 8 Alejandro Valverde ESP 20px|Green jersey MOV 2012 s.t. 9 Francesco Gavazzi ITA AST 2012 s.t. 10 Bradley Wiggins GBR 20px|Yellow jersey SKY 2012 s.t.General Classification after Stage 4 RiderTeamTime 1 Bradley Wiggins GBR 20px|Yellow jersey SKY 2012 13h 30' 52" 2 Levi Leipheimer USA OPQ 2012 + 6" 3 Tejay van Garderen USA 20px|White jersey BMC 2012 + 11" 4 Sylvain Chavanel FRA OPQ 2012 + 14" 5 Maxime Monfort BEL RNT 2012 + 18" 6 Lieuwe Westra NED VCD 2012 + 18" 7 Alejandro Valverde ESP 20px|Green jersey MOV 2012 + 20" 8 José Joaquín Rojas ESP MOV 2012 + 29" 9 Simon Špilak SLO KAT 2012 + 33" 10 Robert Kišerlovski CRO AST 2012 + 36" Stage 5 thumb|Stage profile 8 March 2012 — Onet-le-Château to Mende, 178.5 km 1 onStage 5: Onet-le-Château to Mende http://www.letour.fr/2012/PNC/COURSE/us/500/etape_par_etape.html Paris–Nice Amaury Sport Organisation 4 March 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120303100956/http://www.letour.fr/2012/PNC/COURSE/us/500/etape_par_etape.html 3 March 2012 dead dmy-all thumb|upright|VCD 2012's Lieuwe Westra in the closing metres at Mende. Westra's stage victory moved him into second place in the general classification, trailing overall leader Bradley Wiggins (SKY 2012) by six seconds. The race's queen stage consisted of six categorised climbs over the 178.5 km 1 on parcours,http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/11321/Lieuwe-Westra-soars-to-take-Paris-Nice-stage-five-on-the-Montee-Jalabert.aspx Ben Atkins VeloNation 8 March 2012 9 March 2012 Lieuwe Westra soars to take Paris–Nice stage five on the Montée Jalabert including three first-category climbs; the Côte de la Malène, the Côte de l'Estrade and the final climb to Mende, the Côte de la Croix-Neuve–Montée Laurent Jalabert – a 3 km 1 on climb at an average gradient of 10.1%,https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/drama-to-the-last-for-paris-nice Cycling News 2 February 2012 9 March 2012 Drama to the last for Paris–Nice named in honour of the three-time Paris–Nice winner Laurent Jalabert – which had featured twice before as a summit finish in 2007 and 2010, won on both occasions by Alberto Contador. Many riders and teams believed that the stage suited MOV 2012's Alejandro Valverde,Westra, the Beast of Gévaudan http://www.letour.fr/2012/PNC/LIVE/us/500/journal_etape.html Paris–Nice Amaury Sport Organisation 8 March 2012 9 March 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120309193901/http://www.letour.fr/2012/PNC/LIVE/us/500/journal_etape.html 9 March 2012 dead dmy-allWiggins ready for all takers on Mende http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/03/news/wiggins-ready-for-all-takers-on-mende_208464 VeloNews 8 March 2012 9 March 2012 9 March 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120309224554/http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/03/news/wiggins-ready-for-all-takers-on-mende_208464 dead who had finished second on the Mende stage in 2010 before the result was expunged due to his doping suspension later in the year. Four riders – VCD 2012's Frederik Veuchelen, GEC 2012a rider Simon Clarke, David Lelay of SAU 2012 and EUC 2012's Yukiya Arashiro – advanced clear of the main field after just 2 km 1 on of the stage, and managed to extend their advantage to a maximum of around seven minutes at one point during the stage. Veuchelen earned the majority of points on offer for the mountains classification, summiting the stage's first three climbs, cresting them all ahead of Lelay and Arashiro.https://www.cyclingnews.com/races/paris-nice-2012/stage-5/results Daniel Benson Cycling News 8 March 2012 9 March 2012 Westra prevails on Mende mountain finish MOV 2012 riders began to step up the pace on the front of the peloton, looking to set up the basis for an eventual attack at Mende by Valverde. With around 50 km 1 on to go, ALM 2012's Blel Kadri exited the race, after breaking his left scapula in a crash.https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/broken-shoulder-for-kadri-in-paris-nice-crash Cycling News 8 March 2012 9 March 2012 Broken shoulder for Kadri in Paris–Nice crash On the Côte de l'Estrade, AST 2012's Kevin Seeldraeyers and RAB 2012's Laurens ten Dam attacked off the front of the main field, and set off in chase of the lead quartet. As Veuchelen continued to rack up points towards a mountains classification lead, Seeldraeyers and ten Dam continued to close on the lead group, and with around 10 km 1 on remaining, they latched on to the group as they were on the outskirts of Mende. The peloton caught all bar Veuchelen a short time later, with Veuchelen relenting to the foot of the final climb of the Côte de la Croix-Neuve–Montée Laurent Jalabert, before he too was engulfed by the main field through the advancing pace of several teams on the front of the pack. SKY 2012 then took up the reins through recent Volta ao Algarve winner Richie Porte,http://www.atwistedspoke.com/porte-shreds-contenders-on-climb-to-mende/ Porte shreds contenders on climb to Mende Matt Walsh 8 March 2012 9 March 2012 Twisted Spoke WordPress protecting their overall leader Bradley Wiggins; such was Porte's high tempo that less than twenty riders remained in the lead group as the race reached the final kilometre. Arnold Jeannesson attacked from the group for FDJ 2012, gaining several bike lengths before Wiggins upped his pace, putting youth classification leader Tejay van Garderen (BMC 2012) into difficulty. As Wiggins bridged up to Jeannesson, Lieuwe Westra, sixth place in the general classification overnight, attacked for VCD 2012 yes; pulling clear and earned the stage victory, six seconds ahead of a small group consisting of Valverde, Wiggins, Levi Leipheimer (OPQ 2012) and Simon Špilak for KAT 2012. Westra moved into second place in the general classification after reducing his deficit to Wiggins, to six seconds,https://www1.skysports.com/cycling/news/15264/7579811/Westra-closes-in-on-Wiggins Westra closes in on Wiggins Sky Sports BSkyB 8 March 2012 9 March 2012 while Valverde and Špilak both moved ahead of van Garderen, into the top five. Jeannesson's late-stage attack was also beneficial to his overall position, as he also moved inside the top ten, into seventh position. Stage 5 result RiderTeamTime 1 Lieuwe Westra NED VCD 2012 4h 52' 46" 2 Alejandro Valverde ESP 20px|Green jersey MOV 2012 + 6" 3 Bradley Wiggins GBR 20px|Yellow jersey SKY 2012 + 6" 4 Levi Leipheimer USA OPQ 2012 + 6" 5 Simon Špilak SLO KAT 2012 + 6" 6 Damiano Cunego ITA LAM 2012 + 16" 7 Arnold Jeannesson FRA FDJ 2012 + 16" 8 Sylwester Szmyd POL LIQ 2012 + 24" 9 Rigoberto Urán COL SKY 2012 + 24" 10 Thomas Voeckler FRA EUC 2012 + 30"General Classification after Stage 5 RiderTeamTime 1 Bradley Wiggins GBR 20px|Yellow jersey SKY 2012 18h 23' 40" 2 Lieuwe Westra NED VCD 2012 + 6" 3 Levi Leipheimer USA OPQ 2012 + 10" 4 Alejandro Valverde ESP 20px|Green jersey MOV 2012 + 18" 5 Simon Špilak SLO KAT 2012 + 37" 6 Tejay van Garderen USA 20px|White jersey BMC 2012 + 39" 7 Maxime Monfort BEL RNT 2012 + 46" 8 Arnold Jeannesson FRA FDJ 2012 + 1' 06" 9 Sylvain Chavanel FRA OPQ 2012 + 1' 16" 10 Robert Kišerlovski CRO AST 2012 + 1' 21" Stage 6 thumb|Stage profile 9 March 2012 — Suze-la-Rousse to Sisteron, 178.5 km 1 onStage 6: Suze-la-Rousse to Sisteron http://www.letour.fr/2012/PNC/COURSE/us/600/etape_par_etape.html Paris–Nice Amaury Sport Organisation 4 March 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120305112402/http://www.letour.fr/2012/PNC/COURSE/us/600/etape_par_etape.html 5 March 2012 dead dmy-all Just as what occurred on the second stage of the race, crosswinds caused an early fracture in the main field; inside the first 5 km 1 on,Sanchez restores pride in Sisteron http://www.letour.fr/2012/PNC/LIVE/us/600/journal_etape.html Paris–Nice Amaury Sport Organisation 9 March 2012 9 March 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120309213928/http://www.letour.fr/2012/PNC/LIVE/us/600/journal_etape.html 9 March 2012 dead dmy-all a group of around thirty riders – including all the overall general classification contenders, with the exception of Alejandro Valverde (MOV 2012) and Maxime Monfort (RNT 2012) – got clear just as the race moved into the commune of Tulette. A second group of another thirty riders also formed out of the main bunch, but were quickly caught by the peloton, mainly through the acceleration of the MOV 2012, helping Valverde to get back into the stage equation. The main field reformed on the day's second categorised climb, the Côte du Pas de Ventoux, but seven riders – mountains classification leader Frederik Veuchelen (VCD 2012), RNT 2012 yes's Jens Voigt, SUN 2012a rider Simon Geschke, Luis León Sánchez of RAB 2012, Mikaël Cherel (ALM 2012), FDJ 2012's Anthony Geslin and Daniel Navarro of SAX 2012a – went clear to form the day's primary breakaway.http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/11329/Luis-Leon-Sanchez-outsprints-Jens-Voigt-to-take-Paris-Nice-stage-six.aspx Luis León Sánchez outsprints Jens Voigt to take Paris–Nice stage six Ben Atkins VeloNation 9 March 2012 9 March 2012https://www.cyclingnews.com/races/paris-nice-2012/stage-6/results Sanchez wins Paris–Nice stage to Sisteron Daniel Benson Cycling News 9 March 2012 9 March 2012 By the time the breakaway reached the third climb of the day, the Côte d'Aurel, the gap to the main field was just under four minutes, and with Sánchez – the 2009 race-winnerhttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/cycling/9134243/Paris-Nice-2012-Luis-Leon-Sanchez-wins-stage-six-as-Bradley-Wiggins-retains-leaders-yellow-jersey.html Luis León Sánchez wins stage six as Bradley Wiggins retains leader's yellow jersey The Daily Telegraph 9 March 2012 9 March 2012 – less than four minutes behind overall leader Bradley Wiggins, SKY 2012 put their men on the front of the field in order to limit any potential gains that Sánchez could have made. The gap to the breakaway was reduced to two minutes inside the final 25 km 1 on of the stage, and as the leaders made their way through Sisteron before a 19 km 1 on finishing circuit, their lead was almost halved to 1' 10". Sánchez, Voigt and Cherel went clear of their four other companions as they crested the final climb of the day, the Côte des Marquises with around 12 km 1 on left in the stage. Cherel was dropped several minutes later, and with the main bunch not closing quickly enough to force a field sprint for the honours, it was left to Sánchez and Voigt to do battle themselves. Voigt launched first but Sánchez held enough in reserve to out-sprint his rival, by a wheel length, for his fourth career Paris–Nice stage victory.http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/09032012/2/cycling-sanchez-beats-voigt-paris-nice-stage-win.html Sanchez beats Voigt to Paris–Nice stage win Reuters Yahoo! Eurosport TF1 Group 9 March 2012 9 March 2012 GRM 2012a's Heinrich Haussler led home the main field in third place, fourteen seconds in arrears of Sánchez and Voigt,https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jnj_WNIUNI-acUDtTJ3xOqOjqUtA?docId=CNG.9cff4b4e504e7c63ce362980228c55e3.c51 https://web.archive.org/web/20140226121032/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jnj_WNIUNI-acUDtTJ3xOqOjqUtA?docId=CNG.9cff4b4e504e7c63ce362980228c55e3.c51 dead February 26, 2014 Sanchez strikes as Wiggins keeps Paris–Nice cycling lead Google News Google Inc. Agence France-Presse 9 March 2012 9 March 2012 while the overall contenders finished safely in the pack, causing no changes to the top ten placings.http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/09032012/58/sanchez-takes-stage-wiggins-retains-lead.html Sanchez takes stage, Wiggins retains lead Yahoo! Eurosport TF1 Group 9 March 2012 9 March 2012 Stage 6 result RiderTeamTime 1 Luis León Sánchez ESP RAB 2012 4h 07' 58" 2 Jens Voigt GER RNT 2012 s.t. 3 Heinrich Haussler AUS GRM 2012a + 14" 4 Elia Viviani ITA LIQ 2012 + 14" 5 Grega Bole SLO LAM 2012 + 14" 6 Alexander Kristoff NOR KAT 2012 + 14" 7 Samuel Dumoulin FRA COF 2012 + 14" 8 Romain Feillu FRA VCD 2012 + 14" 9 Koen de Kort NED SUN 2012a + 14" 10 Jacopo Guarnieri ITA AST 2012 + 14"General Classification after Stage 6 RiderTeamTime 1 Bradley Wiggins GBR 20px|Yellow jersey SKY 2012 22h 31' 52" 2 Lieuwe Westra NED VCD 2012 + 6" 3 Levi Leipheimer USA OPQ 2012 + 10" 4 Alejandro Valverde ESP 20px|Green jersey MOV 2012 + 18" 5 Simon Špilak SLO KAT 2012 + 37" 6 Tejay van Garderen USA 20px|White jersey BMC 2012 + 39" 7 Maxime Monfort BEL RNT 2012 + 46" 8 Arnold Jeannesson FRA FDJ 2012 + 1' 06" 9 Sylvain Chavanel FRA OPQ 2012 + 1' 16" 10 Robert Kišerlovski CRO AST 2012 + 1' 21" Stage 7 thumb|Stage profile 10 March 2012 — Sisteron to Nice, 219.5 km 1 onStage 7: Sisteron to Nice http://www.letour.fr/2012/PNC/COURSE/us/700/etape_par_etape.html Paris–Nice Amaury Sport Organisation 4 March 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120303101013/http://www.letour.fr/2012/PNC/COURSE/us/700/etape_par_etape.html 3 March 2012 dead dmy-all Mini-attacks set the course for the stage as the field remained as one, for much of the first hour of racing.http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/11337/Paris-Nice-Thomas-De-Gendt-solos-into-Nice-as-Leipheimer-crashes-out-of-contention.aspx Thomas De Gendt solos into Nice as Leipheimer crashes out of contention Ben Atkins VeloNation 10 March 2012 11 March 2012 It was not until after 48 km 1 on that the stage's primary breakaway had been formed. Two riders – Thomas De Gendt of VCD 2012 and COF 2012's Rein Taaramäe – originally managed to breach the confines of the field, and set off in a bid to extend a substantial advantage of the main field, as both riders featured a long way down the general classification.http://www.teamsky.com/article/0,27290,24793_7583866,00.html Wiggins one step away 10 March 2012 11 March 2012 SKY 2012 BSkyB Taaramäe's presence in the breakaway came just 12 km 1 on after he had suffered an accident in the main field; he was looking to reduce some of his 31-minute deficit to race leader Bradley Wiggins (SKY 2012), while De Gendt was half that margin behind Wiggins, trailing by 15' 44". By the time that De Gendt and Taaramäe had reached the stage's opening climb of the day, the Col des Leques, the duo held an advantage of over eight minutes to the main field, before later extending that gap out to twelve minutes around 15 km 1 on later. AST 2012's Evgeni Petrov gave chase on his own for around 30 km 1 on,De Gendt shines like his team http://www.letour.fr/2012/PNC/LIVE/us/700/journal_etape.html Paris–Nice Amaury Sport Organisation 11 March 2012 10 March 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120309213935/http://www.letour.fr/2012/PNC/LIVE/us/700/journal_etape.html 9 March 2012 dead dmy-all but was eventually recaptured by the peloton, still twelve minutes in arrears of De Gendt and Taaramäe. The lead duo were in the process of attacking one another on the Col de Vence, with De Gendt eventually breaking Taaramäe's resistance, and ultimately soloed the remaining 60 km 1 on of the stage to take his team's third victory of the race, after prior victories for Gustav Larsson and Lieuwe Westra.http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/03/news/paris-nice-de-gendt-wins-solo-on-stage-7-leipheimer-crashes_208866 De Gendt takes stage 7, Leipheimer crashes VeloNews 10 March 2012 11 March 2012 13 March 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120313003719/http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/03/news/paris-nice-de-gendt-wins-solo-on-stage-7-leipheimer-crashes_208866 dead Taaramäe also remained clear of the main field, finishing second, but over six minutes down on De Gendt.https://www.cyclingnews.com/races/paris-nice-2012/stage-7/results De Gendt solos to victory Barry Ryan Cycling News 10 March 2012 11 March 2012 A further three minutes passed before the main field crossed the finish line on the Promenade des Anglais, led over the line by SUN 2012a rider John Degenkolb, Greg Henderson of LTB 2012 and BMC 2012's Thor Hushovd.http://www.sbs.com.au/cyclingcentral/news/35229/De-Gendt-wins-as-Wiggins-holds-lead De Gendt wins as Wiggins holds lead 11 March 2012 11 March 2012 Cycling Central Special Broadcasting Service Agence France-Presse 14 March 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120314102820/http://www.sbs.com.au/cyclingcentral/news/35229/de-gendt-wins-as-wiggins-holds-lead dead Wiggins maintained his six-second lead over Westra in the overall classification,http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/10032012/58/wiggins-leads-deciding-paris-nice-tt.html Wiggins leads into deciding Paris–Nice TT Yahoo! Eurosport TF1 Group 10 March 2012 11 March 2012 Reuters as both riders finished safely in the pack, however this was not the case for Levi Leipheimer, who had been lying in third place overnight for OPQ 2012. In the second half of the stage alone, Leipheimer crashed on three separate occasions,http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/11338/Leipheimer-philosophical-as-three-crashes-put-him-out-of-Paris-Nice-contention.aspx Leipheimer philosophical as three crashes put him out of Paris–Nice contention Ben Atkins VeloNation 10 March 2012 11 March 2012 and thus finished over seven minutes behind his rivals for overall victory, thereby ending his chances of winning the race and the chances of becoming the first American since Floyd Landis, in 2006, to win the race. Stage 7 result RiderTeamTime 1 Thomas De Gendt BEL VCD 2012 5h 11' 48" 2 Rein Taaramäe EST COF 2012 + 6' 18" 3 John Degenkolb GER SUN 2012a + 9' 24" 4 Greg Henderson NZL LTB 2012 + 9' 24" 5 Thor Hushovd NOR BMC 2012 + 9' 24" 6 José Joaquín Rojas ESP MOV 2012 + 9' 24" 7 Romain Feillu FRA VCD 2012 + 9' 24" 8 Simon Clarke AUS GEC 2012a + 9' 24" 9 Xavier Florencio ESP KAT 2012 + 9' 24" 10 Grega Bole SLO LAM 2012 + 9' 24"General Classification after Stage 7 RiderTeamTime 1 Bradley Wiggins GBR 20px|Yellow jersey SKY 2012 27h 53' 04" 2 Lieuwe Westra NED VCD 2012 + 6" 3 Alejandro Valverde ESP 20px|Green jersey MOV 2012 + 18" 4 Simon Špilak SLO KAT 2012 + 37" 5 Tejay van Garderen USA 20px|White jersey BMC 2012 + 39" 6 Maxime Monfort BEL RNT 2012 + 46" 7 Arnold Jeannesson FRA FDJ 2012 + 1' 06" 8 Sylvain Chavanel FRA OPQ 2012 + 1' 16" 9 Robert Kišerlovski CRO AST 2012 + 1' 21" 10 Ángel Vicioso ESP KAT 2012 + 2' 24" Stage 8 thumb|Stage profile 11 March 2012 — Nice to Col d'Èze, 9.6 km 1 on (ITT)Stage 8: Nice to Col d'Èze http://www.letour.fr/2012/PNC/COURSE/us/800/etape_par_etape.html Paris–Nice Amaury Sport Organisation 4 March 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120303101019/http://www.letour.fr/2012/PNC/COURSE/us/800/etape_par_etape.html 3 March 2012 dead dmy-all For the final time trial stage, the race returned to the Col d'Èze for a mountain time trial for the first time since 2001http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/10975/Paris-Nice-route-leaked-Col-dEze-time-trial-to-return.aspx Paris–Nice route leaked, Col d'Eze time trial to return VeloNation Shane Stokes 25 January 2012 11 March 2012 – although the first time since 1995 in its once traditional place as the final stage of the racehttps://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/mar/10/bradley-wiggins-paris-nice-cycling Bradley Wiggins set for second major stage race win in Paris–Nice The Guardian 10 March 2012 11 March 2012 William Fotheringham – when Dario Frigo of the FAS 2001 team triumphed by almost half a minute from his nearest rivals.https://autobus.cyclingnews.com/results/2001/mar01/parisnice016.shtml Frigo does the double Cycling News Séverine Cottin 17 March 2001 11 March 2012 As was customary of time trial stages, cyclists set off in reverse order from where they were ranked in the general classification at the end of the previous stage. Thus, Jarosław Marycz of SAX 2012a, who, in 145th place, trailed overall leader Bradley Wiggins (SKY 2012) by one hour, eighteen minutes and fifty-three seconds, was the first rider to set off on the final stage.http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/11341/Wiggins-wins-Paris-Nice-with-Col-dEze-victory.aspx Wiggins wins Paris–Nice with Col d'Eze victory Shane Stokes 11 March 2012 11 March 2012 VeloNation Marycz set a time of 23' 32" for the 4.7% average gradient climb. thumb|left|Bradley Wiggins won the final stage of the race by two seconds, to win the race overall by eight seconds over Lieuwe Westra. LIQ 2012 rider Tiziano Dall'Antonia was the first to break 23 minutes for the climb,https://www.cyclingnews.com/races/paris-nice-2012/stage-8/results Wiggins wins Paris–Nice Cycling News 11 March 2012 11 March 2012 Barry Ryan but his stay at the top of the standings was short as Wiggins' team-mate Danny Pate, a former world time trial champion at under-23 level, went substantially quicker than Dall'Antonia, setting a benchmark of 21' 29" for the climb.http://www.teamsky.com/article/0,27290,24793_7574257,00.html Danny Pate Paris–Nice analysis Dirk Friel SKY 2012 BSkyB 11 March 2012 11 March 2012 8 March 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120308235522/http://www.teamsky.com/article/0,27290,24793_7574257,00.html dead Wiggins shadowed his team-mate's run, in a car following him up the hill, to gather information about what lay ahead before his start time. Pate's time held for almost 20 minutes until LTB 2012's Bart De Clercq bettered his time, breaking the 21-minute barrier. French riders then lowered the benchmark yet further; David Moncoutié, who finished fourth in the race's last time trial at the Col d'Èze, recorded a time of 20' 11" for COF 2012, but Jean-Christophe Péraud usurped that with the first sub 20-minute time. The ALM 2012 rider, the 2009 national time trial champion, recorded a time of 19' 45"; a time that left his team manager Vincent Lavenu elated, with Péraud later expressing his surprise at such a quick time.http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/11344/Ag2r-La-Mondiale-hails-Perauds-result.aspx Ag2r La Mondiale hails Péraud's result VeloNation 11 March 2012 11 March 2012 Péraud's time remained untouched until the final group of riders set off, and with KAT 2012's Simon Špilak coming closest to Péraud in a time of 19' 59", having faded from a similar time at the intermediate point of the Col des Quatre Chemins, the stage battle ultimately came down to the two riders in contention for the overall honours; Wiggins and VCD 2012's Lieuwe Westra. Westra set off two minutes before Wiggins, and although noted as proficient in the time trial discipline, he left everything on the hill as he set the fastest time to the intermediate checkpoint; recording a time of 11' 29", taking around three seconds per kilometre out of Péraud's time of 11' 47". Two minutes later, Wiggins passed the same point two seconds slower than Westra, but a stronger second half to the stage sealed the victory for Wiggins; as the hill flattened, Wiggins' time-trial experience proved pivotal as he overhauled the deficit to Westra, and finished the stage with a two-second advantage over Westra, taking the stage win, overall victory and the points classification in one fell swoop. MOV 2012's Alejandro Valverde, who had held the lead of the points classification prior to the stage, could only muster sixth on the stage, but this result was good enough for him to claim the final remaining place on the podium.https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/17332892 Bradley Wiggins wins Paris–Nice after final time trial BBC Sport 11 March 2012 11 March 2012 Stage 8 result RiderTeamTime 1 Bradley Wiggins GBR 20px|Yellow jersey SKY 2012 19' 12" 2 Lieuwe Westra NED VCD 2012 + 2" 3 Jean-Christophe Péraud FRA ALM 2012 + 33" 4 Simon Špilak SLO KAT 2012 + 47" 5 Jérôme Coppel FRA SAU 2012 + 51" 6 Alejandro Valverde ESP 20px|Green jersey MOV 2012 + 52" 7 Andreas Klöden GER RNT 2012 + 58" 8 David Moncoutié FRA COF 2012 + 59" 9 Damiano Cunego ITA LAM 2012 + 59" 10 Rigoberto Urán COL SKY 2012 + 1' 06"Final General Classification RiderTeamTime 1 Bradley Wiggins GBR 20px|Yellow jersey20px|Green jersey SKY 2012 28h 12' 16" 2 Lieuwe Westra NED VCD 2012 + 8" 3 Alejandro Valverde ESP MOV 2012 + 1' 10" 4 Simon Špilak SLO KAT 2012 + 1' 24" 5 Tejay van Garderen USA 20px|White jersey BMC 2012 + 1' 54" 6 Arnold Jeannesson FRA FDJ 2012 + 2' 13" 7 Maxime Monfort BEL RNT 2012 + 2' 21" 8 Sylvain Chavanel FRA OPQ 2012 + 2' 42" 9 Robert Kišerlovski CRO AST 2012 + 3' 30" 10 Ángel Vicioso ESP KAT 2012 + 3' 59" Classification leadership progress In the 2012 Paris–Nice, four different jerseys were awarded. For the general classification, calculated by adding each cyclist's finishing times on each stage, and allowing time bonuses for the first three finishers on mass-start stages, the leader received a yellow jersey.2012 Paris–Nice: Special rules http://www.letour.fr/2012/PNC/COURSE/us/reglement_particulier.html Paris–Nice Amaury Sport Organisation 11 March 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120302210647/http://www.letour.fr/2012/PNC/COURSE/us/reglement_particulier.html 2 March 2012 dead dmy-all This classification was considered the most important of the 2012 Paris–Nice, and the winner of the classification was considered the winner of the race. Additionally, there was a points classification, which awarded a green jersey. In the points classification, cyclists got points for finishing in the top 20 in a stage. Unlike in the better known points classification in the Tour de France, the type of stage had no effect on what points were on offer – each stage had the same points available on the same scale. The win earned 25 points, second place earned 22 points, third 20, fourth 18, fifth 16, and one point fewer per place down to a single point for 20th. In addition, points could be won in intermediate sprints; three points for crossing the sprint line first, two points for second place, and one for third. There was also a mountains classification, the leadership of which was marked by a red and white polka-dot jersey. In the mountains classification, points were won by reaching the top of a climb before other cyclists. Each climb was categorised as either first, second, or third-category, with more points available for the higher-categorised climbs. For first-category climbs, points were awarded on a scale of 10 points for first across the climb, second place earned 8 points, third 6, fourth 4, and one point fewer per place down to a single point for seventh. Second-category climbs awarded points on a scale of 7 points for first place, second place earned 5 points, third 3, and one point fewer per place down to a single point for fifth. Third-category climbs awarded points to the top three riders only; 4 points for first across the climb, second place earned 2 points, third place earned 1 point. The fourth jersey represented the young rider classification, marked by a white jersey. This was decided the same way as the general classification, but only riders born after 1 January 1987 were eligible to be ranked in the classification. There was also a classification for teams, in which the times of the best three cyclists per team on each stage were added together; the leading team at the end of the race was the team with the lowest total time. Stage Winner General Classification25px Points Classification25px Mountains Classification25px Young Rider Classification25px Team Classification25px 1 Gustav Larsson Gustav Larsson Gustav Larsson Thomas De Gendt Tejay van Garderen OPQ 2012 2 Tom Boonen Bradley Wiggins Tom Boonen 3 Alejandro Valverde Alejandro Valverde 4 Gianni Meersman Luis Ángel Maté 5 Lieuwe Westra Frederik Veuchelen 6 Luis León Sánchez 7 Thomas De Gendt VCD 2012 8 Bradley WigginsBradley Wiggins Final Bradley Wiggins Bradley Wiggins Frederik Veuchelen Tejay van Garderen VCD 2012 References 30em Further reading http://netstorage.lequipe.fr/ASO/cyclisme/paris-nice/2014/guide_historique_fr.pdf Guide Historique 2014 French Historic Guide 2014 L'Equipe 75 https://web.archive.org/web/20140327051041/http://netstorage.lequipe.fr/ASO/cyclisme/paris-nice/2014/guide_historique_fr.pdf 27 March 2014 External links https://www.letour.fr/us/homepage_horscoursePNC.html Paris-Nice Paris-Nice Category:Paris–Nice Paris-Nice