Geraint Thomas and Team Sky came under pressure in today's stage of Paris-Nice when first a strong breakaway had to be chased down and later Carlos Betancur (Ag2r) managed to get away to move into 4th on GC. The Welshman was happy to have saved the day but expects to lose the jersey in tomorrow's queen stage where he is especially concerned with the Astana duo of Vincenzo Nibali and Jakob Fuglsang.

Geraint Thomas and Team Sky rode hard to defend the yellow jersey at Paris-Nice following a breathless finish to stage five. The tables were turned on the Welshman as, after a late attack the previous day, the maillot jaune was forced to chase hard into Rive-de-Gier as three dangerous rivals escaped up the road.

Thomas retained a slender three-second advantage at the top of the standings after finishing in the main group, while Carlos Alberto Betancur (AG2R-La Mondiale) took the day’s honours. The result moved Betancur to within five seconds of Thomas, while sprinter John Degenkolb (Giant-Shimano) still represents the most immediate threat with the top five riders separated by just eight seconds, and the top 20 covered by 19 seconds.

Team Sky rallied around their leader on the 153-kilometre jaunt and spent much of the day chasing down a dangerous breakaway. David Lopez rode tempo on the final second-category Cote de Sainte-Catherine but it was not long before the attacks began to unfurl.

Betancur, Bob Jungels (Trek Factory Racing) and Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) worked together well off the front, staying clear by just two seconds to round out the podium placings.

Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) saw his move over the top of the final climb swiftly shut down by Thomas but at the line the stakes were raised heading into the final three stages.

After the stage, Thomas said: "I'm glad to still be in the yellow jersey. The guys did a great job again but we wouldn't cover everybody.

"I saw there were Giant-Shimano and Omega Pharma - Quick-Step guys with us and I banked on them to chase for a mass sprint and we nearly got it.

"In my mind, riders like [Vincenzo] Nibali or Betancur still remain the favourites, they have more GC [general classification] experience than I do.

"Tomorrow will be a hard day with a 220km- something stage and a steep hill finale. I hope to be there or thereabouts.

“Slagter is a real threat. He’s a quick rider who can go after time bonuses,” Thomas said afterwards, according to L’Équipe. “But I think Nibali and Fuglsang are the key. Astana has two good cards to play with them.

“Tomorrow’s stage is long, more than 220 kilometres. You can feel good for a long time and then have a sudden low in the last hour of racing. In any case, I’d be surprised if I’m sitting here [in the press room] tomorrow talking to you.

“I’m happy to be in this situation, but it wouldn’t have been the end of the world if I’d lost it. Still, it was a really nice day of racing. Paris-Nice without a time trial makes things harder to control.”

Thomas insists that he is mainly using the race to prepare for the classics.

“I’m putting the final touches on my preparation for the Classics,” he said. “Things are going quite well in terms of Milan-San Remo coming up. I’m looking for a result in any Classic, but if I had to choose where, I’d take the Tour of Flanders. In a Classic, anything can happen.”

After the stage Sports Director Nicolas Portal praised the efforts of the team in the face of constant pressure.

“It was a really hard day today - a very up and down route on heavy roads so every kilometre you feel in your legs," he explained.

“The guys did a brilliant job. It was a strong breakaway and it was not easy to catch. No teams were willing to help us initially so we knew we had to take control. The team did a really good job there.

“The main objective was not to lose any time. We managed that for the most part but G lost a few seconds to Betancur. It’s closer now on the GC and he’s certainly a dangerous opponent. It’s a tight race but it’s exciting for the fans. Let’s see what happens tomorrow.”

You can read our preview of stage 6 here and follow our live coverage of the stage at 14.25 CET on CyclingQuotes.com/live.