After a chaotic and unpredictable opening to Paris-Nice, a sense of normality resumed on stage 3, with Sam Bennett taking the win from a full bunch sprint. However, Wednesday’s stage 4 individual time trial to the summit of Mont Brouilly will see the emphasis shift back to the overall contenders.
Although he equipped himself admirably in last month’s Volta ao Algarve TT with a respectable top-10, Arnaud Demare will undoubtedly lose his maillot jaune. Yet, behind the Frenchman sit a number of contenders able – and certainly willing – to take up the mantle of race leader.
Julian Alaphilippe (Quick-Step Floors), who finished second to Demare on the opening stage of the race, is just six seconds off yellow, while Tony Gallopin (Lotto-Fixall) is at 19 seconds. Sergio Henao (Team Sky) has come through two difficult days in the cross winds better than many would have expected and is 7th at 23 seconds, with another Quick-Step climber, Dan Martin, on the same time.
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Of the better time triallists, Ilnur Zakarin (Katusha-Alpecin) is at 1:01, while Alberto Contador (Trek-Segafredo) sits 1:18 down after losing time on stage 1. Simon Yates, Davide Formolo, Warren Barguil, and Ion Izagirre will all be hoping to kick-start their GC ambitions on the slightly more favourable terrain.
One of Contador’s main concerns coming into the stage appears to be logistics. He and his Trek-Segafredo team spent Tuesday night over an hour away from the official start of stage 4, meaning that he will see the course for the first time on Wednesday morning, although the team has scouted it and given the Spaniard as much information as possible.
“I think there will be big differences,” Contador said of the time trial as he warmed down after stage 3.
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