Paris-Nice

The small town of La Côte-Saint-André returned on the course of Paris-Nice after five years, but unlike the previous visit here, when the sprinters fought for victory, the finish was moved now atop Côte de Notre-Dame-de-Sciez, a brutal 1.7km climb averaging 11.1%, whose maximum gradient reached an insane 18% in the final kilometer.

Just like on La Loge des Gardes, Ilan Van Wilder was again the one carrying the flag for Soudal Quick-Step. Helped by Max Schachmann, the Belgian started this last ascent of the day in an excellent position and remained with the others until 400 meters to go, when a change of pace on the steep slopes saw him lose a couple of seconds.

Van Wilder soldiered on and dug deep for a strong eighth place behind winner Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious). This result helped Ilan retain his 11th place on the overall standings but more importantly, kept him close to the top ten, which he will try to crack in the weekend, when two important stages for the GC await.

Stage 5 was a hard one for the sprinters, including Tim Merlier, who was dropped on one of the many Ardennes-type climbs of the day, but the Belgian fast man made it home together with the gruppetto and retained the prestigious green jersey, which remains in his possession for the fifth consecutive stage.

Photo credit: ©Dario Belingheri / Getty Images