Paris-Nice Stage Three Abandoned

Last updated : 09 March 2016 By CNS Sport

Stage three of the Paris-Nice was abandoned due to snow.

The stage had started in Cusset on a 165km stage into the mountains at Mont Brouilly and was without Phillipe Gilbert who did not start.

The peloton including race leader Michael Matthews of Orica GreenEdge, allowed a group of fourteen riders in  Marcus Burghardt (BMC), Luka Pibernik (Lampre-Merida), Ben Swift (Sky), Alexis Gougeard (AG2R-La Mondiale), Simon Yates (Orica-GreenEdge), Yuri Trofimov (Tinkoff), David De la Cruz (Etixx-QuickStep), Kevin Reza (FDJ), Jesus Herrada (Movistar), Alexei Lutsenko (Astana), Dylan Van Baarle (Cannondale), Laurent Didier (Trek-Segafredo), Alexandre Pichot (Direct Energie), Delio Fernandez (Delko). to get clear.

After Arthur Vichot abandoned, Curvers and Martens got up to the front group who were 3.35 ahead after forty kilometres.

As the leader went over the Côte de Vernay, Daniel Teklehaimanot (Dimension Data) abandoned and Alexis Gougeard put in an attack which split the front group.

On the Côte de Châteauneuf, Gougeard and his small group were 1.35 ahead. Alexis Vuillermoz crashed on that climb and as the riders got to the feedzone, the race organisers ASO, neuralised the stage due to the snow which was falling heavily.

The riders waited for their team buses and it was then annonced that the stage was abandoned with ASO saying: "The race jury and direction decided to cancel today's third stage becauee of the weather conditions.

"The times will not be taken into account but the points scored at the first intermediate sprint of the day and on the climbs completed so far will count.

"The road was extremely slippery and the safety was no longer guaranteed. We are sorry. That's Paris-Nice. We promise we'll come back to Mont-Brouilly. It's a pity but the riders will start again tomorrow from Julienas."