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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

France's William Bonnet won the 203-km second stage of the Paris-Nice cycle race between Contres and Limoges. Slovakia's Peter Pagan was second and Spain's Luis Leon Sanchez was third. Dutchman Lars Boom retained the overall lead.

HTC-Columbia will field a strong mix of all-rounders and sprinters for this year’s edition of Tirreno-Adriatico, which starts on Wednesday in the coastal city of Livorno, Italy. “I’m only expecting a couple of bunch sprint finishes, the first and the last stages,” comments Valerio Piva, HTC-Columbia’s sports director for the seven-day Italian event. “But with all these tough little finishing circuits in between, no time trial, and two very long, hard stages in the mountains of central Italy, Tirreno will probably see some big splits in the field, too. The time bonuses at the finishes and in the intermediate sprints will have a larger than usual influence on the way the race develops, too.”

HTC-Columbia’s Michael Rogers [AUS] is expected to be contending the overall. After winning the Tour of Andalusia in Spain and placing well in the Strade Bianche event this weekend, the Australian is highly motivated for Italy’s second biggest stage race.
“Michael’s certainly in great shape, although it’s a pity there’s no time trial, which would have suited him even more”, Piva comments. “For the overall classification we’ve also got Michael Albasini [SWI] , too, who’s always up there with the other top guys on stages with uphill finishes. And Marco Pinotti’s [ITA] always got a good chance in these sorts of races, too.”

Mark Cavendish [GB] will use Tirreno-Adriatico, according to Piva, “as another important step toward Milan-San Remo. That said, there’s no way he’ll be going in too deep. You don’t want to burn yourself out in Tirreno-Adriatico and not have enough strength left to do well in Milan-San Remo. But whenever there’s a bunch sprint, that’s always a good stage for Mark.”

HTC-Columbia for Tirreno-Adriatico: Michael Albasini (Swi); Lars Bak (Den); Mark Cavendish (GB); Bernhard Eisel (Aut); Marco Pinotti (Ita); Bert Grabsch (Ger); Peter Velits (Slo); Michael Rogers (Aus).

MADRID, March 8, 2010 (AFP) – Seven-time Tour of France winner Lance Armstrong believes, at 38, he has little chance of beating arch-rival Alberto Contador of Spain to win an eighth title this year.

“It would be very difficult. I’m 38, Alberto is 27 and he’s improving every year. I know it, people know it, Alberto knows it,” he told Spanish newspaper El Pais.

Armstrong and Contador were part of the same Astana team in 2009, but their relationship was tense with the American finishing third overall behind winner Contador. Armstrong later left for the US team RadioShack.

This weekend he finished seventh in Spain’s Tour of Murcia, won by Czech Frantisek Rabon.

But the Texan, whose main objective this year is the Tour de France in July, told El Pais he felt he was a “better cyclist” now than in 2009, when he returned to the sport after a four-year absence.

Contador was Tour de France champion in 2007 and 2009.

HTC-Columbia will field a strong mix of all-rounders and sprinters for this year's edition of Tirreno-Adriatico, which starts on Wednesday in the coastal city of Livorno, Italy.   "I'm only expecting a couple of bunch sprint finishes, the first and the last stages," comments Valerio Piva, HTC-Columbia's sports director for the seven-day Italian event.  "But with all these tough little finishing circuits in between, no time trial, and two very long, hard stages in the mountains of central Italy, Tirreno will probably see some big splits in the field, too.  The time bonuses at the finishes and in the intermediate sprints will have a larger than usual influence on the way the race develops, too."

HTC-Columbia's Michael Rogers [AUS] is expected to be contending the overall. After winning the Tour of Andalusia in Spain and placing well in the Strade Bianche event this weekend, the Australian is highly motivated for Italy's second biggest stage race.
"Michael's certainly in great shape, although it's a pity there's no time trial, which would have suited him even more", Piva comments.  "For the overall classification we've also got Michael Albasini [SWI] , too, who's always up there with the other top guys on stages with uphill finishes.  And Marco Pinotti's [ITA] always got a good chance in these sorts of races, too."

Mark Cavendish [GB] will use Tirreno-Adriatico, according to Piva, "as another important step toward Milan-San Remo.  That said, there's no way he'll be going in too deep. You don't want to burn yourself out in Tirreno-Adriatico and not have enough strength left to do well in Milan-San Remo.  But whenever there's a bunch sprint, that's always a good stage for Mark."

HTC-Columbia for Tirreno-Adriatico: Michael Albasini (Swi); Lars Bak (Den); Mark Cavendish (GB); Bernhard Eisel (Aut); Marco Pinotti (Ita); Bert Grabsch (Ger); Peter Velits (Svk); Michael Rogers (Aus).