After Bradley Wiggins in 2012 and Richie Porte in 2013 and 2015, Geraint Thomas was ideally placed to keep Team Sky in a good position for a fourth win at Paris-Nice in five years.
After a dramatic time in the Provence region and a battle with the Giant of Provence, the wonderful Mont Ventoux, where Spaniard Herrada went over the top in first position, the day ended with Michael Matthews still in the lead, by just six seconds.
Team Sky were on impressive form on stage 6 as they set the pace on the 177km race from Nice to La Madone d'Utelle above the historic village of Utelle. They finished stage 6 with Welshman Thomas just 15 seconds ahead of Alberto Contador, a difficult lead to consolidate especially in such a short yet gruelling ride as Sunday's. The final stage on Sunday 13th March was a 134km long round trip from Nice, passing over six climbs before returning to the finish line in Nice.
It was a tense battle for the Welshman, harassed all day by Alberto Contador (Tinkoff), who attacked repeatedly on the last two climbs before finishing second in both the stage and overall, missing his third Paris-Nice crown by a slim four seconds. But Thomas, who salvaged his yellow jersey in the final descent, can be proud of beating two double former winners in Contador and Richie Porte (BMC), the title-holder, who fished third, 12 seconds, at the end of a nail-biting final stage won by Belgium's Tim Wellens (Lotto Soudal).
After a fantastic start on the beautiful Promenade des Anglais in Nice, the peloton enjoyed the very best of the scenery of the Cote d'Azur as they made their way inland to some of the stunning climbs and mountain passes. If this has inspired you to get your bike out of storage and back on the road then remember to check out our Cycling Guide and Cycling Routes pages and start pedalling around Nice.
