After the first stage in Amilly and the second stage between Saint-Brisson-sur-Loire and La Chapelle-Saint-Ursin, 157 riders (Rémi Pauriol was taken to the hospital after yesterday's fall and Joost Posthuma didn't start today) today did the third stage between Orval and Vichy.

In the 178 kilometer of today's route the riders found three climbs of the third category and could measure themselves twice in an intermediate sprint.

The summary of today's stage in four words could be something like escape, rain and wind and sprint.

Th route

Again a stage start from a place where no other Paris-Nice stage started before, Orval, with the real start a few kilometers further in Saint-Amand-Montrond where the last time trial in the Tour de France 2008 took place.

The first intermediate sprint was planned afterv37,5 kilometers in Lurcy-Lévis while 44 kilometers further the riders found the top of today's first mountain, the Côte de la Croix du Chêne (2,3 km at 4,1%). Immediately afterwards they had to climb the Côte de Chavenon (1,4 km at 3,5%) before getting to the food zone in Chappes

At 52,5 kilometers from the finish the last mountain, the Col de la Bosse (6,9 km at 4,4%) was climbed. In Escurolles, at 18 kilometers from the finish the sprinters could fight for a few more points for the green jersey before getting to the finish line in health resort Vichy.

> Click here to see Paris-Nice 2009 full route in Google Maps / Google Earth

The story of the stage

While the time trial in Amilly was held under pretty bad weather conditions the riders did get yet another part of bad weather today with lots of rain, wind and a 7°C temperature.

Despite these difficult conditions, after several tries which all failed, a 5 rider strong leading group was formed from kilometer 15: Maciej Bodnar (Liquigas), Stéphane Augé (Cofidis, photo), Jurgen Roelandts (Silence Lotto), Christophe Le Mével (Française des Jeux) and Tom Veelers (Skil Shimano).

At the first intermediate sprint in Lurcy-Lévis, this leading group already took 5'40" on the pack and three of the five riders thus took some points for the green jersey:
1. Christophe Le Mevel, 3pts/3"
2. Jurgen Roelandts (photo), 2pts/2"
3. Stéphane Augé, 1pt/1"

On top of the first mountain almost the same riders take some points for the polka dot jersey:
1. Stéphane Augé, 4 pts
2. Christophe Le Mével, 2 pts
3. Tom Veelers, 1 pt

Not long afterwards the gap reaches its maximum at 7 minutes, while Tom Veelers leaves the last point to Maciej Bodnar at the Côte de Chavenon:
1. Stéphane Augé, 4 pts
2. Christophe Le Mével, 2 pts
3. Maciej Bodnar, 1 pt

Astana and the sprinter teams and especiallyu Columbia High Road and Cervélo TestTeam start the chase and the leading group sees the gap getting smaller pretty quickly.

At the Col de la Bosse Stéphane Augé shows he's the best man in the mountains today and with the points he gets there he's sure to wear the polka dot jersey tomorrow:
1. Stéphane Augé, 4 pts
2. Christophe Le Mével, 2 pts
3. Tom Veelers, 1 pt

After the Col de la Bosse the Dutch team Rabobank suddenly speeds up and the peloton falls down into several groups.

Juan Antonio Flecha, Juan Manuel Garate and Sébastian Langeveld (Rabobank), Sylvain Chavanel and Kevin Seeldrayers (Quick.Step) and Marcus Burghardt (Columbia High Road) come together with the four riders who are left of the leading group, Jurgen Roelandts, Christophe Le Mével, Stéphane Augé and Tom Veelers. These ten riders tried to fight for some points in the last intermediate sprint which was won by the French rider of the Belgian team:
1. Sylvain Chavanel, 3pts/3"
2. Juan Manuel Garate, 2pts/2"
3. Kevin Seeldrayers, 1pt/1"

Just before the 1-kilometer arch Sébastian Langeveld launches an attack and a few moments later on the Europe bridge (Pont de l'Europe) at the entrance of Vichy Sylvain Chavanel counter attacks with Juan Antonio Flecha in his wheel.
At about 500 meters from the finish the whole leading group is back together and Flecha starts sprinting for the stage victory first. Finally Sylvain Chavanel (photo) shows he's the strongest and takes his second stage victory in Paris-Nice after his victory in Cannes last year.

Before the stage Sylvain Chavanel was 7th in the general ranking, at 19" from Contador, and since the leading group had a 1'20" gap the French rider of the Belgian team took the yellow jersey from Alberto Contador.

Joost Posthuma (Rabobank), sick, didn't start today while Anthony Charteau (Caisse d'Epargne, photo) abandonned during the stage.

The rankings

The general ranking
The general ranking got hussled up quite a lot today:
1/ Sylvain Chavanel (Quick.Step) - 9h 29' 24"
2/ Juan Manuel Garate (Rabobank) - 9h 29' 57" / + 00' 33"
3/ Juan Antonio Flecha (Rabobank) - 9h 30' 00" / + 00' 36"
4/ Kevin Seeldrayers (Quick.Step) - 9h 30' 01" / + 00' 37"
5/ Jurgen Roelandts (Silence-Lotto) - 9h 30' 04" / + 00' 40"

Ranking by points (green jersey)
The winner of the stage also took the green jersey but since he'll already be wearing the yellow jersey tomorrow, the green jersey stays on the shoulders of yesterday's winner. The ranking by points is now as follows:
1/ Sylvain Chavanel (Quick.Step) - 42 pts
2/ Heinrich Haussler (Cervélo TestTeam) - 42 pts
3/ Mirco Lorenzetto (Lampre-NGC) - 30 pts
4/ Juan Antonio Flecha (Rabobank) - 27 pts
5/ Alberto Contador (Astana) - 25 pts

Best climber (polka dot jersey)
His presence in the leading group today allowed Stéphane Augé to take the polka dot jersey:
1/ Stéphane Augé (Cofidis) - 12 pts
2/ Aitor Hernandez (Euskaltel Euskadi) - 6 pts
3/ Christophe Le Mével (Française des Jeux) - 6 pts
4/ Aleksandr Kuschynski (Liquigas) - 5 pts
5/ Piet Rooijakkers (Skil Shimano) - 3 pts

Ranking of the best young riders (white jersey)
The best young riders now are Belgian:
1/ Kevin Seeldrayers (Quick.Step) - 9h 30' 01"
2/ Jurgen Roelandts (Silence-Lotto) - 9h 30' 04" / + 00' 03"
3/ Heinrich Haussler (Cervélo TestTeam) - 9h 30' 47" / + 00' 46"
4/ Sébastien Turgot (BBox Bouygues Telecom) - 9h 31' 06" / + 01' 05"
5/ Reine Taaramae (Cofidis) - 9h 31' 08" / + 01' 07"

Ranking by team
In the ranking by team the Dutch team which played an important role in today's stage is first now:
1/ Rabobank - 28h 29' 41"
2/ Quick.Step - 28h 30' 19" / + 00' 38"
3/ Columbia High Road - 28h 32' 04" / + 02' 23"
4/ Katusha (photo) - 28h 32' 40" / + 02' 59"
5/ Saxo Bank - 28h 32' 55" / + 03' 14"

The videos

Below you can see a short video of the last kilometer of today's stage, courtesy of the Belgian channel Sporza:

and a summary in image and sound of Paris-Nice 2009 third stage:

door Thomas Vergouwen
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this publication is published in: Paris-Nice

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