- HOT TOPICS:
- The new VeloNews.com (BETA)
Quick Step's Sylvain Chavanel takes stage 3 and the Paris-Nice lead from Contador
- Article Extras
- Photos
- Results
- Race Index
Alberto Contador gave up his yellow jersey — at least temporarily — to Quick Step's Sylvain Chavanel Tuesday after losing 1:10 in the third stage to a breakaway group containing Chavanel.
Stage 3, Orval to Vichy, 178 km (110.6 miles)
GC Leader: Sylvain Chavanel (Quick Step)
Stage winner: Chavanel in 4:33:12
Stage winner's average speed: 39.09 kph (24.3 mph)
Best Young Rider GC: Kevin Seeldrayers (Quick Step)
Mountain leader: Stephane Auge (Cofidis)
Best Team GC: Rabobank
Points Leader: Chavanel
Up next: Stage 4 is 173.5 km (107.7 miles) from Vichy to Saint-Étienne 173.5 km. The route includes six category three climbs.
2009 Stage winners:
Stage 1: Alberto Contador
Stage 2: Heinrich Haussler
Stage 3: Sylvain Chavanel
The break formed about 40 kilometers from the finish of the stage and swept up another group that had been out front for much of the 178 km race.
Contador is now in sixth place overall, 1:03 behind Chavanel.
It is the second year in a row that Chavanel has taken the lead of Paris-Nice on the third stage. Last year, he held the lead for just one day before Rabobank's Robert Gesink took over.
This year Rabobank blew the race apart when it accelerated 45km to the line.
Chavanel quickly joined the move and managed to hold on as Contador battled in vain to overcome a gap of some 30 seconds that had opened up as he fought to hang on to his overall lead.
"I saw how the guys from Rabobank were grouping together and I was ready for them," Chavanel said. "I had a good feeling about it. I'm glad to be up there. I know that compared with the best climbers such as Contador in (Friday's) Lure climb, well, I won't say I have no chance but I'm not going to get ahead of myself there."
"My morale is sky high," he beamed. "The goal was to win a stage and make an impression in the overall standings so I'm half way there."
