Tinkoff-Saxo was intent on delivering a performance on stage 5 of Paris-Nice and sent out Pawel Poljanski to fly the flag for his team in the long breakaway of the day. Despite a valiant effort, the break was caught just before the finish line, where Matti Breschel finished 7th in the uphill sprint won by Lampre’s Davide Cimolai.
 
After the stage finish, Pawel Poljanski, who had been in the break for more than 180km, received praises from his sports director Sean Yates.
 
“Pawel definitely did a fine job today and he took his turns at the front of the strong breakaway. He attacked together with 4 riders, including the owner of the mountain’s jersey Thomas De Gendt, on the first and hardest climb just after the start of the stage. They were out there for a long time, as it was a tough terrain to catch a breakaway but ultimately the stage ended in a sprint. We wanted to play an active role and to show the team colors and we definitely made an effort”, says Sean Yates.
 
Despite being caught with a few kilometers to go, Poljanski commented that he was satisfied with the day.
 
“De Gendt and Talansky attacked early on in the first climb and we decided that I should go in the breakaway shortly after. I bridged the gap but spent some energy on it. Maybe I took too many turns at the front, but it helped maintain the lead over the peloton at the same time. So I couldn’t follow, when De Gendt attacked with about 8km to go”, says Pawel Poljanski and adds:
 
“After yesterday, which was not a good day, we wanted to try and to be active. I felt good during the stage, so overall I’m satisfied with my performance. Still, we will try to improve the results we’ve had so far, so we should continue to ride actively, especially tomorrow, where we’ll face a very difficult stage”.

With one kilometer to go of stage 5 to Rasteau in the heart of Provence, the road kicked up with several sharp bends and an incline around 4-5 percent. Following a hectic fight for positioning, Tinkoff-Saxo’s Matti Breschel finished 7th behind stage winner Davide Cimolai (Lampre-Merida).
 
“Once again, Matti confirmed that he has the power to finish among the best in a sprint like this. His form is mounting, and if he had started in a better position in the sprint he could very well have finished in the top three”, tells Sean Yates.
 
“When Coquard started his sprint, he came fast from behind Matti. Ideally Matti would have followed, but to increase your speed with 5km/h in the blink of an eye would mean that you burn your last kick before the final 100 meters. But Cimolai was able to get in between Matti and Coquard and he won the stage”, finishes Yates.