Ilnur Zakarin (Katusha) proved that his amazing results from the 2015 season were no fluke by taking an impressive victory in stage 6 of Paris-Nice. At the top of La Madone d’Utelle, he joined a 6-rider group and managed to respond when first Alberto Contador (Tinkoff) and then Geraint Thomas (Sky) accelerated inside the final 500m before coming around the Brit to take the win. Thomas moves into the lead with a 15-second advantage over Contador.

 

We have gathered several reactions.

 

Altitude training pays off for Ilnur Zakarin ahead of Giro GC bid

Team Katusha’s 26-year old Ilnur Zakarin climbed with the peloton’s best in Saturday’s 74th Paris-Nice, biding his time and showing patience before giving one last effort to win atop La Madone d'Utelle for stage 6.

 

It is the sixth career win for Zakarin and first in the 2016 cycling season, an accomplishment that looks good for his upcoming goals for May’s Giro d’Italia. Last year the young Russian won the Tour of Romandy and a hilly stage in the Giro in his first participation of a grand tour.

 

“I am really happy with this victory. I was preparing for this race at altitude, so I was able to get a good form. I wanted to fight for a good result in this race. Today I knew it would be hard, but I felt really good today. The team was super and I felt the support in every moment. Especially from Pavel Kochetkov, who helped me a lot, and Michael Mørkøv and Simon Špilak in the final. I knew there were two hard moments in this climb at 6km to go and 500 meters to go. So I just did my best to pass it and to save the energy for last few hundred meters, where I gave my best. Tomorrow is another hard day. I am third now and I want to save my podium place. We will do our best tomorrow!” vowed Ilnur Zakarin.

 

"I was on a great day but I also had the chance to have a big team Katusha at my side. I was especially prepared me for this first appointment in my season during a training camp at altitude. This is an important race for me, as will be the Tour of Catalonia in ten days, in view of the Giro where I aim for a nice place overall. I will do one ahead of the Giro again

 

"I've worked very hard ahead of Paris-Nice.I am pleased that this has paid off.

 

Asked about his positive doping test a few years ago, he said.

 

"I have already answered many questions about this control. I admit it was a mistake on his part. It's normal that you ask that question. It is not a problem for me, but that's the past and now I want to focus on my career. "

 

On the upper slopes of the climb, Zakarin was able to respond to all the moves from the elite group of climbers, including Alberto Contador (Tinkoff), Geraint Thomas and Richie Porte of BMC. Under the 1km to go banner, Porte attacked first but Zakarin was right on the wheel, and when the group came back together and Contador showed his hand with 400 meters to ride, Ilnur Zakarin once again followed the move. 

 

Coming around the last corner he moved wide to the left of Geraint Thomas and passed the Sky rider to earn victory by just over a bike length with a time of 4:45.11. Thomas was on the same time with Zakarin, with Contador at 1-second behind.

 

“We knew Contador, Porte and Thomas would attack and our plan was to follow them and to see what would happen in the final. Ilnur did an amazing race - he did everything he had to do to get the maximum result. I am happy for him and for the whole team; the guys did a great job today. Tomorrow we will do our best to hold our place on the podium,” said team sports director Dmitry Konyshev.

 

With one stage to go the general classification is currently held by Geraint Thomas by 15-seconds to Contador and another five to Zakarin. With only 1-second separating him to fourth place Richie Porte, Team Katusha’s plan will be to fight to stay on the podium on Sunday’s seventh and final stage.

 

Geraint Thomas: When Contador couldn’t drop me, I got a lot of confidence

Geraint Thomas took control of the yellow jersey with one day to go at Paris-Nice by battling to second place on La Madone d'Utelle.

 

Thomas benefitted from some brilliant work by his team-mates on the penultimate stage, with no less than seven Team Sky riders on the front of the bunch as they approached the final climb of the day.

 

Ian Stannard, Nicolas Roche, Ben Swift and Ian Boswell all rode hard to thin out the field, and by the time Sergio Henao and Mikel Nieve hit the front on the category-one climb, only 16 riders remained.

 

Henao then guided Thomas onto Alberto Contador's wheel when he made his first move 5km from home, and that trio were joined by Richie Porte (BMC Racing) and Ilnur Zakarin (Katusha) as they pressed on towards the summit.

 

Henao helped annul further attacks before they passed under the flamme rouge, and then Thomas launched a stinging move of his own with the finish line in sight.

 

Although the Welshman was pipped to victory by the industrious Zakarin, his second-placed finish saw him open up a 15-second lead on Contador (Tinkoff) at the top of the overall standings, with Zakarin five seconds further behind in third.

 

 

TeamSky.com caught up with Thomas on the way back to the team hotel and he was happy to reflect on a good day in the saddle.

 

He told TeamSky.com: "The guys were amazing today, just as they have been all week. We had strength in numbers and everything went to plan. I want to thank them, and thank Sergio for committing fully to me at the end there because he could have got a result for himself today, that's for sure.

 

"I didn't really know how my legs would be today because we haven't done any real climbs so far. Obviously, we did Mont Ventoux the other day, but that came near the start of the stage, and I'm happy I was able to respond to all the attacks.

 

"Once I'd responded to a few, it gave me a lot of confidence - seeing guys like Richie get distanced - and then I tried to get ready for the sprint at the summit. I perhaps went a bit early there and couldn't hold off Zakarin at the end. It would have been nice to win the stage but to gain time of Alberto and Richie was really good.

 

"We've got a huge stage tomorrow now. There's a lot of climbing and I know the roads really well. It's going to be very hard and a lot can still change. We can't tale anything for granted but I've got a strong team around me - probably the strongest in the race - and I'm in a great position.

 

"Hopefully I can rest up tonight, eat well, have a good massage, and then it'll be all down to the legs tomorrow.

 

”With the first attack of Alberto, I did not want to go into the red and I came back with Henao. After that, I showed that I could respond to his attacks and it gave me a lot of confidence. I aim to stay in front as long as possible.
 

”This is the first time I ride against Contador as a leader. He is super strong, he has an incredible track record, one of the most beautiful. I have great respect for him and Richie Porte is also one of the best in the world in a one-week race.
 

”I feel more pressure as leader of Team Sky. I have great riders around me and I know what my status is in a race like Paris-Nice but the pressure is still not greater than during the London Olympics. Tomorrow is still a very hard day, many things can change.  I'll try to make the most of the evening before living perhaps the best day of my career.
 

“I do not know whether I am in top form. I come from a long period of preparation. The longest of my career. After the season, I got married, I went on our honeymoon, I gained a lot of weight. My main objectives are Paris-Nice, Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the Tour de Romandie.
 

”Quite simply, I love to race, I hope to be in a good position in all races I do. I want to be aggressive and have good legs. I am lighter and we'll see what happens in races like the Tour of Flanders but being passionate about cycling, I just want to be good everywhere.
 

”It was a difficult decision to skip Paris-Roubaix. I opted for stage races and the Tour of Flanders. I like it a lot but after the classics I have to go to Tenerife for a training camp. I have not sacrificed Paris-Roubaix, my program just prevents me from being there.

 

"I love Paris-Nice and I would really like to continue the tradition of Sky and win it for the fourth time since 2012. But nothing is done yet. There is one last difficult stage to pass. ”

 

Alberto Contador: I knew my possilities were restricted

Stage 6 was to be the day the GC standings were blown apart. Alberto Contador danced up La Madone d’Utelle to take 3rd in the stage. An exceptional day for Contador, with strong support from his Tinkoff teammates, sees the race move into its final day second in the GC standings – with everything still to race for.

 

The Race to the Sun took on the mountains for the second day, with a 177km stage taking in seven categorised climbs – two of which were first category. It was a day where the climbers hoped to finally make their mark on the GC standings, with an uphill finish on the first category La Madone d’Utelle.

 

From the outset came the attacks, with a break leading for much of the first 100km of the route. As the race approached the final climb, Tinkoff riders took control of the pace and pushed to get their team leader in position. As the race leader, Michael Matthews, was dropped in Cote de Duranus, the peloton knew a shake up of the GC was coming.

 

At the 145km marker, Trofimov, Poljanski and Majka each took points at the top of the Cote de Levens, and minutes later, Contador surged to the front to take 2 points in the intermediate sprint in Levens. Tinkoff’s intentions were clear. With 10km to go, Majka and Contador went, and while a small group of fifteen held on, the gaps grew. It was on the Madone d’Utelle that the decisive move was to come in the GC contest. After an incredible effort by Majka, Contador went solo, taking two riders with him, 5km from the finish. Crossing the line a second after the stage winner, Ilnur Zakarin, Contador could only wait and see how long the other GC contenders would take to cross the line.

 

Contador knew the stage would be tough, and had hoped to put more time into his rivals. "We tried to make this stage as hard as possible since the start. We didn't want to give even one minute of rest, so that our adversaries reached the last climb as tired as possible. I was feeling well but the climb wasn't as tough as I would have liked. There was a bigger split than I expected but I knew it would be very difficult to make a big difference. I'm very happy with my form but not with the result. I would have, obviously, liked to be further ahead but we have another day ahead and we'll see what we can do.”

 

"The stage was hard. We tried to make the race as hard as possible because the final climbed lacked difficulty. We managed to break the group without making big differences. "

 

Sport Director, Steven De Jongh, described today’s race.

 

“Today was a really hard stage. The team was strong and they did well to make it really tough. There were still a lot of guys in front of Alberto on GC so we had to work hard to get rid of them, and this worked, and then Alberto did a strong ride on the climb. He just couldn't get rid of Thomas at the end but all is still to play for tomorrow.”

 

The support of the Tinkoff riders for their team leader was exceptional. De Jongh continued. “We started working with Michael Valgren, then Matteo Tosatto then Robert Kiserlovski and the other guys - everyone did their share of the work, and the overall team performance was great.”

 

Ahead of the final stage, Contador knew the challenges it would present. “It will be difficult. Sky has a strong squad and it will be complicated to upend the GC. We can't rule out anything, of course, but with the summit finish that cancelled on stage 3, I knew my possibilities were restricted. Geraint Thomas is strong and it will hard to take his spot.

 

"Now we are second in the standings and we have to analyze the race to see what we will do tomorrow. It will be really hard now simply because there aren’t many kilometers and Sky have a very strong team but hey ... we'll see. "

 

The race’s final stage will see the winner crowned. Starting and finishing in Nice, the 134km route returns once more to the mountains with six categorised climbs, becoming progressively tougher as the day goes on, before a final descent into Nice. De Jongh was clear the race was far from over. “Second place overall is a good position heading into tomorrow which will still be a hard stage and we're going to be going for it again so we will see what happens. It's not over yet.”

 

Richie Porte: The race is not over yet

Richie Porte crossed the line in fourth place, seven seconds behind stage winner Ilnur Zakarin (Katusha). Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) was just edged out of the stage win but moves into the Yellow Jersey, with Alberto Contador finishing in third place.

 

Porte now sits in fourth on the General Classification, 21 seconds behind Thomas.

 

“It wasn’t a hard final climb, but it was a bit of cat and mouse. At the end of the day I’m happy with how the team were today. They were around me all day and put me in a great position,” Porte said.

 

“There’s one more day so we just have to see what happens. I don’t think it’s over yet.”

 

It was an excellent display from the entire team, BMC Racing Team Sports Director Fabio Baldato said.

 

“Richie did a great ride. I need to say thanks to the guys because they really were next to him and in front of him all day. He’s at a good level but it’s not his best level so that result is a good indication of what’s to come.”

 

Simon Yates takes over from Michael Matthews at Paris-Nice

23-year-old Simon Yates showed his class on the climbs today to finish sixth on the penultimate stage of Paris-Nice.

 

The final 15km of today's stage was a tough ascent towards the summit finish in La Madone d'Utelle. Yates was amongst the big names finishing strongly, moving him up to eighth place on the general classification with one stage remaining.

 

"It was a really good race," explained sport director Laurenzo Lapage. "With Matthews we knew it would be a hard day, but we had Simon ready waiting and then going with the best climbers. For a young guy it's a really great ride.”

 

With Matthews sucessfully retaining the yellow leaders jersey for six days, Lapage was pleased with what Orica-GreenEDGE has been able to achieve this week in France.

 

"We have achieved a lot so far. Holding on to the leaders jersey for so long, having two stage wins and now Simon in the top ten, it's been really great. If Matthews doesn't have a bad crash or too many problems tomorrow then he should win the green sprint jersey also.

 

"I think if we had said before Paris-Nice we would have these results and the whole team working so well, then we would have been really happy. It's been a really great week for us so we are pleased with the whole performance here."

 

Rui Costa: Tomorrow I want to get into the top 10

"I'm glad I saw that my legs and my physical condition are very good. They allowed me to be with all the best climbers in the crucial moments of the stage,” said Rui Costa. “Today's stage was very complicated, with many tough climbs and a course in which you could never lose the concentration. In addition, the work of Tinkoff leading the pack meant that we did all the climbs with a very high pace.

 

”Tomorrow it will be the last stage: after today, I can say with confidence that I will try to get into the top ten in the final standings.”

 

“Friends, today Paris-Nice started for real,” he wrote in his diary. “It was was the first day of high mountains and it ends already tomorrow. I liked the feelings in my legs and took them to the limit today. I made a first attack in the middle of the last climb to understand my feelings and read the state of form of my opponents, who responded immediately. I am very strong. It was impossible to follow the pace of Contador, Porte, Thomas, Henao, Zakarin so I limited myself to manage my strength on the way up and move at my pace not to lose too much. Within the last kilometer, I made a new attack to drop opponents who were with me but they stayed in my wheel to the finish line. It was a day of great effort that gave a 7th ​​ place and move into 11th place overall. I am satisfied but I want more.

“Tomorrow Paris-Nice ends with another hard stage even though it does not finish uphill. I hope to be back with the best and that my legs do not pay for today. Thanks to my teammates, especially my brother Mario, who helped me throughout the day.”

 

Romain Bardet: With the headwind, it was difficult to do better

"I did not feel good on the climb. With a strong headwind is difficult to expect better,” Romain Bardet said. “At the first attack, I was not in a very good position and too far back to respond immediately. I was close to catch up alone to the leading group but Contador attacked and it was over. It gave me a blow. The cooperation was bad in the chase group.
 

“It's part of the game. This climb was difficult but with the headwind, we did not have the expected differences. Tomorrow is a difficult stage, short and nervous. There will be a fight. "

 

Ion Izagirre: I knew that Contador, Porte and Henao would be better than me

Geraint Thomas, Contador, Zakarin, Porte, Tom Dumoulin… and Ion Izagirre. Several of the names who have written history in Grand Tours during the last few years are the only riders ahead of Ion Izagirre in the overall classification of Paris-Nice, just one day, an explosive (134km), unpredictable one, away from the end of the ‘Course to the Sun’.

 

The Queen stage on French soil - 177km without a single meter of flat, which was still covered at an average exceeding 41kph - left many suffering: from former leader Michael Matthews (OGE), dropped as Sky put an immense pace on the ascent towards Duranus (Cat-2), to Izagirre himself, losing some meters on to the favourites’ group when Rafal Majka (TNK) picked up the pace to prepare an attack from his team leader.

 

Supported until the Madone climb by Erviti, Jesús Herrada, Rubén Fernández, José Herrada and older brother Gorka, the younger of the Ormaiztegi saga bounced back to keep chasing relentlessly, as an acceleration by Contador, Henao and Thomas took him down to the second echelon of favourites.

 

He eventually crossed the line in 9th spot, 31” behind winner Ilnur Zakarin (KAT), and now sits 17” away from the coveted top-3 overall, in a race that will decide, as many other times before in the last decade, at the ascent and tricky downhill of the Col d’Eze (Cat-1), the last obstacle before the prestigious Promenade des Anglais.

 

"The climb was tough and the whole stage too and all of Paris-Nice also,” he said. “I want to thank the team. They were always with me. I was in a good position which was especially important in such a complicated stage.

 

“On the last climb I tried to follow the best. I was one of the strongest but I was in the second group. I am satisfied with the job done.

 

“Tomorrow?  We are many riders within a few seconds and for sure tomorrow will be a war. The last stage is always very complicated with many nerves, relatively short. Everybody will be watching each other. I am sure that people will attack and we must be very attentive.  

 

“The lesson from today? Well, actually I knew that people like Contador, Henao, Richie are superior to me on these climbs. It was not a steep climb but it was long. I am in my place and I'm happy ".

 

Wellens: I am afraid that I am a one-day rider

"Of course, this sucks", Tim Wellens told Het Nieuwsblad . "I made had this Paris-Nice ​​a first goal of the season. The climb was too hard and too long for me. However, I knew that when I started because I had looked at this mountain after a tip from Gert Steegmans.

 

"In the beginning I had a hope. I felt good, but the second part was for real climbers. It went too fast. It's hard to say what the exact reason was but they rode 15.5 kilometers at a pace that I could not match.

 

"It is unfortunate that I overshot my target. I'm afraid I'm a one-day rider."

 

Tom Dumoulin: I am satisfied with my level at the moment

Team Giant-Alpecin were still present in the front peloton after the day’s penultimate climb with Simon Geschke helping to keep Tom Dumoulin in position and out of trouble. Tom Dumoulin couldn’t close the gap in the end and decided to ride his own pace on the final ascent.

 

Earlier in the stage, Team Giant-Alpecin were reduced to six riders as Cheng Ji pulled out of the race with the past days in the challenging weather conditions taking the best out him.

 

Tom Dumoulin said: “It was a really hard day from the beginning and on the uphill finish I could not follow Condator. I almost came back but he attacked again and at the end I lost a little bit of time. I think, I am quite satisfied with my level at the moment

 

“Tomorrow will be another hard day, Team Sky will probably control the race with Geraint Thomas in the leader’s jersey. For sure, Contador will try again and attack. The goal for tomorrow is to defend this GC position.”

 

Aike Visbeek said: “The goal of the stage was too work for Tom Dumoulin and to bring him as fresh as possible in the last part of the stages.

 

“In the uphill finish, Simon was in very good form and he managed to stay with Tom until half way. Tom tried to follow the attacks but then he had to pace himself up the climb. He is at a good level at the moment and he still remains in a strong position in the general classification.”

 

Wilco Kelderman after late hunger knock: It was stupid

Wilco Kelderman finished 14th in the queen stage of Paris-Nice. Team LottoNL-Jumbo’s front man seemed to finish top-10 for a long time, but struggled with a hunger knock in the final two kilometres of the stage. Ilnur Zakarin (Team Katusha) won the day, Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) grabbed the yellow jersey. 

 

The queen stage of Paris-Nice finished on top of La Madone d’Utelle on Saturday. Team LottoNL-Jumbo’s task was to bring Wilco Kelderman in a good position to the foot of that final climb.

 

“The team led me out perfectly to the final climb,” Kelderman said after the race. “It was crucial to be in front of the group during the downhill. That went well. We were riding in good position during the whole race.”

 

“It was a nervous stage, today, but it went well for us,” sports director Frans Maassen added. “The final climb was the decisive moment of the race and Wilco was able to defend his chances, there. It looked like he was going to finish top-10, but he lost quite a lot during the last two kilometres. He impressed when he was part of the chasing group.”

 

A hunger knock was the reason for his loss in the final part of the race.

 

“I’m fed up with that,” Kelderman added. “I didn’t see it coming. I felt empty, suddenly. I haven’t been thinking about a quick eat during the final climb. I’m experienced enough to know how much I have to eat, so this is stupid.”

 

Kelderman is now placed 13th in the general classification.

 

“That’s not enough for me. It will be tough to make some difference during the final stage, but when I get the chance, I will try it.”

 

Lawson Craddock takes Cannondale leadership in Paris-Nice

Lawson Craddock was the top finisher for Cannondale Pro Cycling Team on the penultimate stage of Paris-Nice, which finished atop La Madone d'Utelle, reaching the line in 16th place, 2:15 behind stage winner Ilnur Zakarin (Katusha). Pierre Rolland finished on the same time, one spot further back in 17th place.

 

"The climb was tough,” Craddock said. “Pace was steady the entire time until Tinkoff lit it up. That split the group, and it was suffering all the way to the finish. I was in a small group with Pierre [Rolland], and we fought as long as we could to limit our losses and make it to the top as quickly as possible."

 

No fractures for Andrew Talansky after Paris-Nice crash

“After fighting hard in the break all day during stage six of Paris-Nice, Andrew Talansky went down on a descent with roughly 45 kilometers to go. It was a tough blow, because he was riding well and had good legs. He was forced to abandon after the crash and needed a few stitches, but he'll be back on the bike in a few days.

 

Astana captains come up short in tough Paris-Nice queen stage

“From today stage, I think I will recover for next year.” This is what Diego Rosa declared after the finish in La Madonne d’Utelle.

 

“It was a very difficult stage,” explained Rosa. “Everyone in the bunch went a bloc from the start and with all the ups and downs, the speed at the front was high. We did more than 3000 vertical meters, not an easy day at all.

 

“We did our best to keep the front positions in the peloton for the entire day to help our teammates who were better positioned in the GC and to avoid any risks on today's winding roads. Then in the finale the best climbers attacked at full power and so the race flew away,” said the Italian of the Astana Pro Team.

 

“Anyway it was a good step in terms of preparation for the next important races to come in the year,” concluded Rosa.

 

Another breakaway for Florian Vachon in Paris-Nice

Florian Vachon spent the day in the breakaway for Fortuneo Vital Concept.

 

"It was a difficult day on paper and so it proved on the bike. I wanted to attack earlu and then to accompany and help Chris-Anker Sorensen as long as possible. I made two long breakaways this week, it is important for the morale and confidence,” he said.

 

Sports director Sébastien Hinault added:

 

"Florian Vachon did a great race, he did more than 120 kilometers in front. He was already in the right breakaway last Thursday.The teams for the GC did not let them go. They were never able to get more than two minutes. They wanted to make the race hard. Chris-Anker Sorensen was left behind on the final climb, I think he was the victim of a hard end to the race.”

 

Vegard Stake Laengen crashes out of Paris-Nice

Vegard Stake Laengen was not able to complete the sixth stage of Paris-Nice after having suffered a crash during one of the many descents of the stage.  Forced to abandon the race, the 27 year old Norwegian incurred many abrasions to his right shoulder, hip, and elbow, which required multiple stiches. X-rays were taken as a precaution.

 

The sports management of the IAM Cycling team, in communication with the team doctor, will discuss the potential date when Vegard Stake Laengen may be able to return to competition depending on the progress of his recovery.

 

Dries Devenyns out of GC contention after Paris-Nice queen stage

"It was a difficult mountain stage," Dries Devenyns told Het Nieuwsblad. "I'm not trained for this kind of work. I made every effort to stay in the leading group but the final climb was just too heavy, too long for me.

 

“You can try but at some point it breaks. I did not come here for a good GC but yesterday it was still good, not today. I have done a beautiful Paris-Nice. I have been good all season and this was for me above all a preparation race for the classics. I hope to now keep this shape shape for six weeks. After this race I take a few days recovery and then do some good training to be ready for the spring classics.”

 

Dimension Data come up short in Paris-Nice queen stage

Stage 6 of Paris-Nice proved to be a tough one for Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka.

 

Algerian fast man Youcef Reguigui had to call it quits on the early slopes of the Côte de Gattièrres due to a knee injury he sustained a few days ago. Luck didn’t pick up for the African team with Jacques Janse van Rensburg crashing on the descent of this very climb. The South African finished the race, yet was out of contention for the later stages of the race.

 

Serge Pauwels was the best place finisher for Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka on this tough day. He managed to stay with the favourites until the final climb but couldn’t match their pace in the end.

 

“We had had hoped for a good race for Serge and Jacques today. However, after the crash we had to change our plans. Jacques was in pain all stage long, but fought to the end. Serge tried to stay with the favorites, but it was a hard task being on his own for most of the race on such a demanding day. Tomorrow this Paris-Nice comes to a close and we hope for more luck then,” sports director Alex Sans Vega said.