Team caught out in Paris-Nice crosswinds

On the look of it, Euskaltel today lost all hope of a top general classification performance in the Paris-Nice. The team went missing when the sidewinds wreaked havoc with the peloton and thus ceded several minutes to various GC candidates.

Neither Igor Antón, Mikel Astarloza, Romain Sicard or anoyone else made the cut when echelons started to form, and a 21-man strong group were left to fight it out for the win. Astarloza, García and Sicard came in with the main peloton some two and a half minutes in arrears, while Antón and co. crossed the line almost 11 minutes back. While the riders will no doubt be disappointed with their lack of vigilance, it leaves the guys free to hunt stage wins from breaks for the remainder of the race if nothing else.

Stage results:

• (1, Tom Boonen, Omega Pharma-Quick Step)
• 46, Mikel Astarloza, 2:29
• 48, Ricardo García, s.t.
• 71, Romain Sicard, s.t.
• 147, Igor Antón, 10:58
• 149, Peio Bilbao, s.t.
• 167, Adrián Sáez, s.t.
• 172, Pierre Cazaux, s.t.
• 174, Gorka Izagirre, s.t.