Nairo gets through first selection
06 March 2013

Paris-Nice (st. 3)

Colombian just 17 seconds off Talansky's (GRS) yellow jersey in Brioude after another day of cold and rain

The 71st Paris-Nice saw Wednesday’s win and the yellow jersey going into the hands of Andrew Talansky (GRM), the fastest man into a 7-rider group going apart into the downhill of the Côte de Mauvagnat (Cat. 2), 16k from the finish in Brioude, the starting point of day four in France, 171km from Châtel-Guyon.

A 20-man elite group behind the escapees came six seconds behind, including an always-attentive Nairo Quintana, with Javi Moreno, Jesús Herrada and José Joaquín Rojas really close to bridge into the two small groups of about 15 riders that reached the line just one minute afterwards.

The French race will have another tricky route on Thursday, with 200km to be covered between Brioude and Saint Vallier and no less than seven categorized climbs, the last one (Cat. 2) just 7k from the end. Quintana is now the top Blue rider on the GC (21st), just 17 seconds off the yellow jersey.