Paris-Nice - Stage 5
Wouter Wippert is at the head of an eight-man escape pulling quickly away...
Matthias Brandle and Antoine Duchesne are puling the escape to an eight-minute advantage near Vaison-la-Romaine...
The peloton pedals past the legendary vignes of Rasteau, uncaring for now of the escape's advantage...
Nicholas Roche chases for Team Sky on the approach to the Mont Ventoux...
Edward Theuns leads the escape on to the famous climb, now less than eight-minutes ahead...
The real Mont Ventoux is closed by seasonal snows, Chalet reynard is as high as Paris-Nice can get today...
Mont Ventoux towers over the area, and makes for a great skiing venue, but not a bike race...
Paris - Nice 2016 - stage 5
Richie Porte and Alberto Contador saunter up the Ventoux in the midst of the peloton - no sweat..!
Michael Matthews descends the climb right at the head of the peloton - the race-leader is in no mood to surrender just yet..!
Arnaud Courteille takes what is now a five-man escape into the final hills - with an advantage of five minutes...
Michael Valgren chases for Tinkoff across the exposed plains of the Luberon...
Michael Albasini chases too - Orica-Green Edge seem desperate to bring the escape back so far from the finish...
Amets Txurruka and Sam Bewley lend their strengths to the chase, but the gap is still over three-minutes...
Tinkoff sets a tough pace up the so-steep Cote de la Roque d'Antheron - is Ciontador about to attack..?!
Despite the steepness and pace, about 100 riders are still together on the climb...
Antoine Duschesne has taken off alone from the escape and has a 45-seconds lead over the final climb...
Daryl Impey chases desperately after Duchesne and to deter any furgther attacks against Matthews...
Alexey Lutsenko has attacked, and is closing in on Duchesne with about 30-kilometres to go...
Katusha is chasing Lutsenko, but it appears the Russian team is not chasing too hard...
Lutsenko has built a 40-seconds lead and is the virtual race-leader with 10-kilometres to go..!
Alexey Lutsenko wins stage five, but ends up six-seconds short of taking the race-lead...