Having been caught behind the crash in stage one, Thor Hushovd showed that he is getting ready for the classics when he sprinted to 5th in today's uphill sprint in Paris-Nice. The Norwegian was pleased with the encouraging result and is now looking forward to another opportunity tomorrow.

BMC Racing Team's Thor Hushovd finished fifth in the bunch sprint Monday at Paris-Nice. 

Anthony Delaplace (Bretagne-Seche Environnement) and Aleksejs Saramotins (IAM Cycling) attacked 2.5 kilometers into the 205-km race. Their lead peaked at 11:30 after 31.5 kms. Saramotins went off on his own with 12 km to go but was swept up with 4 km left.

Moreno Hofland (Belkin Pro Cycling) held off John Degenkolb (Team Giant-Shimano) and race leader Nacer Bouhanni (FDJ.fr) to take the stage win. Hushovd's result was his second-best of the season, following a runner-up finish on Stage 3 at Tour Méditerranéen.

Bouhanni kept the overall lead by two seconds ahead of Degenkolb, while Hofland climbed into third, four seconds behind. Intermediate sprint bonuses, splits in the finale, and time bonuses on the finish line dropped BMC Racing Team's Greg Van Avermaet from fourth to 13th overall, 17 seconds behind. Teammate Peter Velits (28th) is among 31 riders who are 21 seconds off the lead.

"Because of the wind on the open parts, there was a big stress the last 100 kilometers," Hushovd said. "It was quite a close run that we brought back the breakaway, but it ended up to be a bunch sprint. I got some help from a couple of the guys and was well-placed in the last 500 meters. In the end, I did a good sprint, so I am satisfied today compared to yesterday. It was a good step in the right direction."

"Today, all the guys were good," Ledanois said. "There was a small crash for Taylor, but I think it was not a problem for him. The final was very dangerous. I am happy for Thor. It is not a victory, but it is a good result after a one bad day yesterday. I think this result was important for him and the team."

You can read our stage preview here and follow our live coverage at 14.25 CET on CyclingQuotes.com/live.