Confident despite missing out on sprint finish.

Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma - Quick Step) was conspicuous by his absence from the front group which contested the sprint finish during Stage 1 of Paris-Nice yesterday. The Belgian, along with Argos-Shimano hopeful Marcel Kittel, came in almost two minutes adrift the first 124 riders.

"I did not want to take any chances on this stage, which was, in my opinion, very dangerous," Boonen told reporters at the finish.

Numerous crashes marred the 195 km stage with Rui Costa (Movistar) and Jure Kocjan (Euskaltel-Euskadi) both forced to leave the race. The continued presence of others remains doubtful going into stage 2 today.

"I avoided the fall several times and then I preferred to stay in the back, to try and avoid unnecessary stress and fall," Boonen continued. "I do not want to harm my preparation for the classics. I was afraid, it's true, and, let's face it; I don’t have the legs. But otherwise, all is well. "

Boonen also explained to Nieuwsblad.be that he felt dissatisfied with the parcours for the stage.

"This course was not suitable for an opening stage of Paris-Nice, which has always been very nervous," he explained. "If you do not feel comfortable, then you do not have good legs. The problem was that the wind was not good. Now everyone thought it was going to happen behind every corner. And nothing happened. Therefore you sat with too many riders in too small a space. My enthusiasm was over. There is no reason to panic."