Was it a clever plan for race leader Robert Gesink to let a handful of dangerous men escape, or are there already chinks in the Rabobank rider?s armour?
The plan in stage five of Paris-Nice was to let a group of riders well down on the general classification escape, fight out the finish between themselves, and take the pressure off Rabobank. With two hard days to come at the weekend, the last thing Rabobank needed was a hard day on the front of the peloton.
But that is what they got. And they gave Carlos Barredo a free ticket into the top six into the bargain. The Spaniard won the stage, having given a quartet of fellow escapees the slip into Sisteron. And his Quick Step team, having now won three stages, look dangerous ? Juan Manuel Garate also lurks in fifth.
The peloton was unsettled for the first hour of the stage, with attacks coming and going. And after 50 kilometres, 17 riders formed the break of the day. As well as Barredo, Maxime Monfort and Pierre Rolland, both in the top 15, had made the group. Christophe Moreau and Karsten Kroon were there, while Crédit Agricole, with Rolland, Simon Gerrans and Alexandre Botcharov,
The chase started almost immediately, and the 17 riders spent 100 kilometres slowly chiselling out a three-minute lead through the dusty Provençal landscape. With Barredo only four minutes down overall, Rabobank had to rely on reinforcements. Gerolsteiner rider Davide Rebellin?s second place was under threat, so understandably, they contributed to the chase. Less understandably, Bouygues Telecom also lent a hand. As the peloton lined out, riders were shed from the back, but they made little impression on the escapees? three-minute lead.
Ahead, the group split into two pieces on the hilly finishing circuit around Sisteron. Barredo, Moreau, Kroon, Rolland and Manuele Mori went clear on the Côte des Marquises, with 15 kilometres to go. And then Barredo launched two solo attacks inside the last 10 kilometres.
At the finishing line, the Spaniard was all smiles. Was he happy at his biggest ever win, or at the 1-40 that now separates him from Robert Gesink?s race lead?
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Carlos Barredo makes it a trio of wins for Quick Step at this year's Paris-Nice. All photos by Luc Claessen/ISPA
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PARIS-NICE STAGE THREE
1 Carlos Barredo (Spa) Quick Step172km in 3-58-01
2 Karsten Kroon (Ned) CSC
3 Manuele Mori (Ita) Saunier Duvalat 0-04
4 Christophe Moreau (Fra) Agritubelst
5 Pierre Rolland (Fra) Crédit Agricolest
6 Simon Gerrans (Aus) Crédit Agricoleat 1-33
7 Maxime Monfort (Bel) Cofidisat 1-34
8 Alexandre Botcharov (Fra) Crédit Agricolest
9 Ivan Santaromita (Ita) Liquigasst
10 Mathieu Perget (Fra) Caisse d?Epargnest
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PARIS-NICE: OVERALL
Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank 21-10-30
2 Davide Rebellin (Ita) Gerolsteinerat 0-31
3 Rinaldo Nocentini (Ita) Ag2r-La Mondialeat 0-35
4 Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) Silence-Lottoat 0-42
5 Juan Manuel Garate (Spa) Quick Stepat 1-05
6 Carlos Barredo (Spa) Quick Stepat 1-40
7 Luis Leon Sanchez (Spa) Caisse d?Epargneat 2-00
8 Gorka Verdugo (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadiat 2-11
9 Alexander Efimkin (Rus) Caisse d?Epargneat 2-30
10 Clément Lhotellerie (Fra) Skil-Shimanoat 3-25
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SATURDAY?S STAGE
Stage six sees the riders heading back into the hills for 206 kilometres from Sisteron to Cannes on the Mediterranean coast.
With seven categorised climbs, it?s going to be a hard day in the saddle for the survivors of the race. Once the peloton start the climbing for real, on the second category Col des Leques at 73 kilometres, there?s barely any respite until the finish.
The final climb of the day, the famous Col du Tanneron, is a steep climb, that could damage a tired peloton. But from the top of the climb, there are 20 kilometres to the finish ? plenty of time for escapees to get pulled back.
The stage is scheduled to finish between 1625 and 1655 local time.
Edward Pickering is a writer and journalist, editor of Pro Cycling and previous deputy editor of Cycle Sport. As well as contributing to Cycling Weekly, he has also written for the likes of the New York Times. His book, The Race Against Time, saw him shortlisted for Best New Writer at the British Sports Book Awards. A self-confessed 'fair weather cyclist', Pickering also enjoys running.
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