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Spain’s Alberto Contador secured a Paris-Nice double whammy on Thursday by winning the race’s fourth stage here, becoming the overall leader in the process.

The Astana rider attacked 1700 meters from the line to finish 10 seconds ahead of compatriots Alejandro Valverde and Samuel Sanchez after the 173.5 kilometer ride from Maurs.

Another Spaniard, Joaquim Rodriguez, finished fourth, with Frenchman Thomas Voeckler 18sec off the pace in fifth.

“I didn’t feel great,” said Contador. “It was cold, really very cold, during the stage. I hope the temperature will increase.

“Paris-Nice isn’t over. I even think the hard part is just starting. There are three difficult stages remaining and you shouldn’t forget that Paris-Nice is one of the most difficult races of the season to control.”

Overnight leader Jens Voigt conceded 40 seconds to Contador after falling behind during the grueling 3km climb to the finish line.

In the new overall classification, reigning Tour de France champion Contador is 24 seconds ahead of Valverde.

Contador’s victory was his fifth stage win in the Paris-Nice race and the second time he has won the stage ending in Mende.

His first major professional race victory came with the 2007 Paris-Nice, which laid the foundations for his first Tour de France triumph later that year.

Friday’s fifth stage is a 157km ride south from Pernes-les-Fontaines to Aix-en-Provence. The race finishes in Nice on Sunday.

Results on Thursday of the fourth stage of the Paris-Nice race, a 173.5km ride from Maurs-la-Jolie to Mende:
1. Alberto Contador (ESP/AST) 4hr 26min 47sec,
2. Alejandro Valverde (ESP/GCE) at 10sec,
3. Samuel Sanchez (ESP/EUS) 10,
4. Joaquim Rodriguez (ESP/KAT) 18,
5. Thomas Voeckler (FRA/BTL) 20,
6. Damiano Cunego (ITA/LAM) 21,
7. Roman Kreuziger (CZE/LIQ) 21,
8. Christophe Le Mevel (FRA/FDJ) 29,
9. Luis Leon Sanchez (ESP/GCE) 29,
10. Rein Taaramae (EST/COF) 31,
11. Jerome Coppel (FRA/SAU) 37,
12. Jens Voigt (GER/SAX) 44,
13. Sylvain Chavanel (FRA/QST) 44,
14. Jean-Christophe Peraud (FRA/OLO) 44,
15. Sandy Casar (FRA/FDJ) 44,
16. Volodymir Gustov (UKR/CTT) 44,
17. Nicolas Roche (IRL/ALM) 48,
18. Simon Gerrans (AUS/CTT) 53,
19. Xavier Tondo (ESP/CTT) 56,
20. Peter Sagan (SVK/LIQ) 58

Overall classification after four stages:
1. Alberto Contador (ESP/AST) 17hr 07min 23sec,
2. Alejandro Valverde (ESP/GCE) at 24sec,
3. Roman Kreuziger (CZE/LIQ) 25,
4. Luis Leon Sanchez (ESP/GCE) 28,
5. Samuel Sanchez (ESP/EUS) 29,
6. Jens Voigt (GER/SAX) 34,
7.Joaquim Rodriguez (ESP/KAT) 36,
8. Peter Sagan (SVK/LIQ) 54,
9. David Millar (GBR/GRM) 1min 03sec,
10. Rein Taaramae (EST/COF) 1:06,
11. Thomas Voeckler (FRA/BTL) 1:08,
12. Xavier Tondo (ESP/CTT) 1:14,
13. Jean-Christophe Peraud (FRA/OLO) 1:15,
14. Jerome Coppel (FRA/SAU) 1:16,
15. Nicolas Roche (IRL/ALM) 1:22

Photos by: CorVos Pro

New Zealand cyclist Greg Henderson won the first stage of the Paris-Nice race on Monday for the British-based Team Sky.

The 33-year-old, a gold medal winner at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, beat Slovenia’s Grega Bole in a sprint finish to clinch first place.

“This year I picked up Sky’s first victory (the Criterium before the Tour Down Under), but it’s great to win this time after such a nerve-wracking day,” Henderson said.

“We spent our time accelerating, braking, then accelerating again. I was lucky to find myself out in front,” he added.

But Henderson could not do enough to take the yellow jersey from yesterday’s prologue stage winner, Rabobank’s Dutch rider Lars Boom.

France’s Romain Feillu and The Netherlands’ Albert Timmer led the peloton for most of the stage before fading away after 146 kilometres (100 miles) of the 201-kilometer course.

Spain’s two-time Tour de France winner Alberto Contador crossed the line despite falling three kilometres from the end.

“My worry is not the time lost on the first stage, even though I would have liked it to have turned out differently, but the pain,” said the Madrid-born Astana rider, who hurt his left thigh in the fall.

“It is not the 17 seconds lost that concerns me right now but mainly how I will feel tomorrow (Tuesday) morning,” the 27-year-old added.

Fellow challengers Pierre Rolland and Levi Leipheimer also took a tumble but both managed to recover to finish the stage.

The second stage will be held between Contres and Limoges on Tuesday.

1st stage (201.5km):
1. Greg Henderson (NZL) Team Sky 4hr 22mins 17sec,
2. Grega Bole (SLO) Lampre same time,
3. Jeremy Galland (FRA) Saur s.t,
4. Alexandr Kolobnev (RUS) Katumpa s.t,
5. Alejandro Valverde (ESP) Caisse d’Epargne, s.t,
6. Nicolas Roche (IRL) AG2R s.t,
7. Jens Voigt (GER) Saxo Bank s.t.
8. Marco Marcato (ITA) Vacansoleil s.t,
9. Tony Martin (GER) Team HTC s.t,
10. Roman Kreuziger (CZE) Liquigas s.t.
11. David Millar (GBR) Garmin s.t,
12. Lars Boom (NED) Rabobank s.t,
13. Serguei Ivanov (RUS) Katumpa s.t,
14. Luis Leon Sanchez (ESP) Caisse D’Epargne s.t,
15. Cyril Lemoine (FRA) Saur s.t,
16. Francesco Chicchi (ITA) Liquigas at 17sec,
17. Mirco Lorenzetto (ITA) Lampre at 17,
18. Koldo Fernandez (ESP) Euskatel at 17,
19. Tom Leezer (NED) Rabobank at 17,
20. Jimmy Casper (FRA) Saur at 17.
Selected:
67. Alberto Contador (ESP) Astana at 17.

Overall:
1. Lars Boom (NED) Rabobank 4hr 33min 11sec,
2. Jens Voigt (GER) Saxo Bank at 05 secs,
3. David Millar (GBR) Garmin at 13
4. Luis Leon Sanchez (ESP) Caisse D’Epargne at 14,
5. Roman Kreuziger (CZE) Liquigas at 15,
6. Greg Henderson (NZL) Team Sky at 20,
7. Levi Leipheimer (USA) RadioShack at 25,
8. Alberto Contador (ESP) Astana at 25,
9. Peter Sagan (SVK) Liquigas at 29,
10. Xavier Tondo (ESP) Cervelo Test Team at 29,
11. Alejandro Valverde (ESP) Caisse D’Epargne at 31,
12. Grega Bole (SLO) Lampre at 32,
13. Samuel Sanchez (ESP) at Euskatel at 34,
14. Cyril Lemoine (FRA) Saur at 35,
15. Janez Brajkovic (SLO) RadioShack at 35.

Photo’s by: CorVos Pro

New Zealand cyclist Greg Henderson won the first stage of the Paris-Nice race on Monday for the British-based Team Sky.

The 33-year-old, a gold medal winner at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, beat Slovenia’s Grega Bole in a sprint finish to clinch first place.

“This year I picked up Sky’s first victory (the Criterium before the Tour Down Under), but it’s great to win this time after such a nerve-wracking day,” Henderson said.

“We spent our time accelerating, braking, then accelerating again. I was lucky to find myself out in front,” he added.

But Henderson could not do enough to take the yellow jersey from yesterday’s prologue stage winner, Rabobank’s Dutch rider Lars Boom.

France’s Romain Feillu and The Netherlands’ Albert Timmer led the peloton for most of the stage before fading away after 146 kilometres (100 miles) of the 201-kilometer course.

Spain’s two-time Tour de France winner Alberto Contador crossed the line despite falling three kilometres from the end.

“My worry is not the time lost on the first stage, even though I would have liked it to have turned out differently, but the pain,” said the Madrid-born Astana rider, who hurt his left thigh in the fall.

“It is not the 17 seconds lost that concerns me right now but mainly how I will feel tomorrow (Tuesday) morning,” the 27-year-old added.

Fellow challengers Pierre Rolland and Levi Leipheimer also took a tumble but both managed to recover to finish the stage.

The second stage will be held between Contres and Limoges on Tuesday.

1st stage (201.5km):
1. Greg Henderson (NZL) Team Sky 4hr 22mins 17sec,
2. Grega Bole (SLO) Lampre same time,
3. Jeremy Galland (FRA) Saur s.t,
4. Alexandr Kolobnev (RUS) Katumpa s.t,
5. Alejandro Valverde (ESP) Caisse d’Epargne, s.t,
6. Nicolas Roche (IRL) AG2R s.t,
7. Jens Voigt (GER) Saxo Bank s.t.
8. Marco Marcato (ITA) Vacansoleil s.t,
9. Tony Martin (GER) Team HTC s.t,
10. Roman Kreuziger (CZE) Liquigas s.t.
11. David Millar (GBR) Garmin s.t,
12. Lars Boom (NED) Rabobank s.t,
13. Serguei Ivanov (RUS) Katumpa s.t,
14. Luis Leon Sanchez (ESP) Caisse D’Epargne s.t,
15. Cyril Lemoine (FRA) Saur s.t,
16. Francesco Chicchi (ITA) Liquigas at 17sec,
17. Mirco Lorenzetto (ITA) Lampre at 17,
18. Koldo Fernandez (ESP) Euskatel at 17,
19. Tom Leezer (NED) Rabobank at 17,
20. Jimmy Casper (FRA) Saur at 17.
Selected:
67. Alberto Contador (ESP) Astana at 17.

Overall:
1. Lars Boom (NED) Rabobank 4hr 33min 11sec,
2. Jens Voigt (GER) Saxo Bank at 05 secs,
3. David Millar (GBR) Garmin at 13
4. Luis Leon Sanchez (ESP) Caisse D’Epargne at 14,
5. Roman Kreuziger (CZE) Liquigas at 15,
6. Greg Henderson (NZL) Team Sky at 20,
7. Levi Leipheimer (USA) RadioShack at 25,
8. Alberto Contador (ESP) Astana at 25,
9. Peter Sagan (SVK) Liquigas at 29,
10. Xavier Tondo (ESP) Cervelo Test Team at 29,
11. Alejandro Valverde (ESP) Caisse D’Epargne at 31,
12. Grega Bole (SLO) Lampre at 32,
13. Samuel Sanchez (ESP) at Euskatel at 34,
14. Cyril Lemoine (FRA) Saur at 35,
15. Janez Brajkovic (SLO) RadioShack at 35.

Photo’s by: CorVos Pro

Holland’s 2008 world cyclo-cross champion Lars Boom won the Paris-Nice cycling prologue on Sunday in an 8-kilometer time trial in the town of Monfort-l’Amaury just outside the French capital.

German veteran Jens Voigt was second, three seconds behind Rabobank’s Boom, while American rider Levi Leipheimer took third.

Jens Voigt Takes second

Levi Leipheimer Takes Third

Slovakia’s Peter Sagan, the event’s youngest competitor at 20 years old, finished in fifth place 10 seconds off the pace, while defending Paris-Nice champion Luis Leon Sanchez trailed the 24-year-old leader by 12 seconds.

Contador Puts In A Solid Ride

“It was quite a thing for me coming from cyclo-cross. It was much colder and you need to immediately find your rhythm and adapt to the cobbled surfaces,” 24-year-old Boom said.

The Dutchman admitted that while he was unlikely to finish first overall in the race, he said he was aiming to hang on to the yellow jersey until Thursday’s stage.

Boom won last year’s Tour of Belgium and also won a stage in the Tour of Spain.

“I came to (the Paris-Nice) compete in the one day classics, such as the Tour of Flanders and the Paris-Roubaix race,” he added.

There was one casualty as Belgian rider Gert Steegmans was blown off his bike by a gust of wind which resulted in him breaking his collarbone.

Gert Steegmans After He breaks his ColarBone

Monday’s stage sees the peloton ride off from Saint Arnoult-en-Yvelines to Contres.

Prologue Results
1. Lars Boom (NED) Rabobank, 10min 56sec,
2. Jens Voigt (GER) Saxo Bank at 3 sec,
3. Levi Leipheimer (USA) RadioShack 6,
4. Alberto Contador (ESP) Astana 6,
5. Peter Sagan (SVK) Liquigas 10,
6. Xavier Tondo (ESP) Cervelo same time,
7. David Millar (GBR) Garmin 11,
8. Luis Leon Sanchez (ESP) Caisse d’Epargne 12,
9. Roman Kreuziger (CZE) Liquigas 13,
10. Samuel Sanchez (ESP) Euskatel 15
Selected:
15. Geraint Thomas (GBR) Sky at 20 secs.

Lars Boom Takes The Prologue