Orica Wins Tour de France Nice Team Time Trial

A very tight result for the team time trial in Nice Tour de France stage, which saw the team of flat racers Orica-Greenedge win the stage for one second. The favorites played well their stage and fulfilled their mission for the day.

A third yellow jersey in four days on the Tour de France

Australian Simon Gerrans, who won yesterday in Calvi, vovered himself of golden in Nice thanks to the victory of the Orica-Greenedge team. Simon Gerrans’ team is ahead Omega Pharma-Quick Step for just one second and Team Sky three seconds. Contador finished fourth with Saxo-Tinkoff at 9 seconds. For teams of favorites, the main issue, apart a possible victory for the Sky – given its potential – was above all not wasting time over its competitors. Mission fulfilled: the man of the moment Froome nibbles only 6 seconds on Contador, takes 14 seconds to Van Den Broeck and goes 23 seconds away from Evans and 26 from Andy Scleck. In all ways, it was perhaps strategically too early for Sky to pull it off and grab the yellow jersey at the fourth sage. The Tour is a long and tiring test for the organisms, and defending the Jersey is a daunting task that leaves traces over days. Moreover, the way of racing of the Team Sky has not been that much appreciated in the peloton last year. If “Froomey” had taken the power today, the teams would have done anything to blow the lock that his team would have imposed on the peloton. Also, although Nicolas Portal, sport director of Team Sky has said to have built his team for today’s stage, he may have deemed wiser not to ask his racers to risk everything to win.
The Orica-Greenedge team attracted considerable attention during the race by racing compact, well grouped, and the outcome was great. But at the Omega Pharma – Quick Step team, a long time at the first provisional place, disappointment was great of losing for a tiny second…

Final ranking:

1. Orica-Greenedge in 25 ’56 ”
2. Omega Pharma – Quick Step, 1”
3. Sky at 3”
4. Saxo-Tinkoff at 9”
5. Lotto-Belisol at 17”
6. Garmin at 18”
7. Movistar at 19”
8. Lampre at 25”
9. BMC at 26”
10.Katusha at 29”
11. Radioshack at 29”
12. Vacansoleil at 33”
13. Cannondale at 34”
14. Belkin at 37”
15. FDJ.fr at 42”
16. Astana at 57”
17. AG2R at 1’04”
18. Sojasun at 1’11”
19. Europcar at 1’13”
20. Cofidis at 1’20”
21. Euskaltel at 1’24”
22. Argos Shimano at 1’47”