Samu TTs out of contention

Samu probably lost all hopes of a Paris-Nice podium placing by finishing a solid, but not quite good enough, 16th in yesterday's 27km ITT from Rognes to Aix-en-Provence. With Martin winning, Wiggins 2nd, Klöden placing 4th and Taarame taking 8th, and most of his other rivals finishing further up the standings than Samu as well, he's now 8th overall, a full 1:37 adrift of runaway-leader Martin. Still, finishing 16th at a course most suited to powerful rouleurs is not bad, not bad at all. Especially considering his major goals this spring are further down the road. Stage results:

• 16th, Samuel Sanchez, 1:43
• 58th, Pablo Urtasun, 3:19
• 75th, Gorka Verdugo, 3:37
• 100th, Iñaki Isasi, 4:06
• 116th, Gorka Izagirre, 4:27
• 146th, Pierre Cazaux, 5:35
• 147th, Jorge Azanza, 5:39