Paris-Nice stage 5 LIVE – Three chasers join the original five leaders in eventful first half of hilly day

The eight leader have 1:50. The question now is, who is going to chase? Campanaert’s presence means that the team of the yellow jersey, Visma-Lease a Bike, are no longer obliged to.

2026-03-12T13:32:16.969Z

The trio have joined the leaders! So we now have a very strong looking group of eight up the road.

2026-03-12T13:30:31.836Z

Victor Campanaerts is also in the move with the two Movistar riders.

2026-03-12T13:29:16.929Z

Romeo and his Movistar teammate Milesi are going very well. They’re already just 20 seconds behind the leaders.

2026-03-12T13:26:08.743Z

Visma-Lease a Bike pulling at the front of the peloton. Given the hilly finale, and the uphill finish, might they be eyeing up a second successive stage win.

Vlasov takes the points at the top of the climb, ahead of Cavanga and Prodhomme. As they take on a false flat that comes after the summit, and with 100km left to ride in total, their lead over the peloton is about 1:40.

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Ivan Romeo and Lorenzo Milesi has attacked out of the peloton on the climb.

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The leaders are on the climb now, as is the peloton, 1:30 behind.

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Now the race has settled down a little, it seems a good time to reflect on yesterday’s dramatic stage.

While bad weather is a common factor of this March-time race, rarely has it had such an impact on the GC gaps.The whole race was turned on its head, and the time gaps almost unique in their size compared with editions of Paris-Nice in the modern age.

The gap between the leaders and peloton has grown a little, up to 1:40.

2026-03-12T13:06:42.293Z

Steinhauser is back in the bunch, as are multiple other riders who were pulled along by his EF Education-EasyPost teammates.

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Some EF teammates have dropped back to try and help make up the 10 second deficit he has to the peloton.

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Another surprise now as Georg Steinhauser, the man up to third on GC yesterday after an exceptional performance, has also found himself distanced out the back of the peloton.

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The five men up the road, who have formed the day’s break.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

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Having looked so good yesterday, we can only imagine that Gaudu was suffering from some kind of illness, perhaps as an effect of the horrible weather conditions yesterday. Either way, it’s a bitter disappointment as the Frenchman appeared to be coming into some of his best form for a while.

Clearly Gaudu was having serious problems – it’s just been announced that he has abandoned the race.

2026-03-12T12:56:10.888Z

Meanwhile, Gaudu’s problems continue. He’s still 15 seconds behind the peloton, despite having teammates Johan Jacobs and Clément Russo to assist him.

Visma-Lease a Bike have taken control at the front of the peloton, and aren’t giving them much leeway. They’re keeping the gap at 1:10, despite the fact that nobody in the group is within 15 minutes of Vingegaard’s time on GC.

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(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-03-12T12:48:44.647Z

Over a minute now for the five leaders. There are also some chasers in between them and the peloton, but they’re still much closer to the peloton for now.

Still the quintet’s lead grows, up to 25 seconds. This might be our break of the day.

As for David Gaudu, he’s slowly making his way back to the peloton, with just 10 seconds left to make up.

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Their lead is indeed growing, now up to 20 seconds.

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With riders as powerful as time trial specialists Tarling and Cavagna, this group could have a decent chance of at last making the elastic snap, especially as the upcoming kilometres are mostly flat and rolling, before the hills of the finale.

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That quintet has a lead of eight seconds for now.

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Tarling, Cavagna, Prodhomme and Cepeda are the four riders who have clipped clear with Vlasov.

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(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-03-12T12:33:50.343Z

Vlasov pushed on after cresting the climb first, and a few other riders have joined. They’re trying to form a breakaway.

Still no breakaway, but the peloton is smaller now after that climb. Gaudu is 15 seconds behind with his teammates – it’s unclear if his is a legs issue, or a mechanical issue.

Vlasov was the first rider to the top of the climb, ahead of Nicolya Vinokurov and Nicolas Prodhomme.

2026-03-12T12:26:30.003Z

This could be a significant development, as Gaudu started the day in fifth overall having done well in the rain yesterday.

2026-03-12T12:25:44.736Z

There’s a problem here for David Gaudu, who is out the back of the peloton. He has a couple of teammates with him to help pace him.

2026-03-12T12:24:32.060Z

The fast pace being set on this climb is seeing riders dropped out of the back, including sprinters Phil Bauhaus and Milan Fretin.

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Scratch that, it wasn’t so promising after all – all four have now been caught.

2026-03-12T12:22:45.730Z

Two riders have joined Bissegger and Sütterlin. This is starting to look like a promising break.

2026-03-12T12:20:18.188Z

Sütterlin and Bissegger and the peloton close behind are approaching the foot of the first climb of the day, the category three Côte de Lentilly. There are sterner tests to come, but this could help a definitive break form.

That’s a powerful duo, but, again, you sense they’ll need some companions for more firepower.

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Jasha Sütterlin and Stefan Bissegger are the latet riders to try their luck, and have a lead of about 15 seconds.

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Jonas Vingegaard at the start today, looking more dapper than he did in the rain yesterday. His eccentric choice of attire became a talking point yesterday.

So still we have no break and a peloton that’s all together, with over 40km already completed.

2026-03-12T11:59:44.304Z

He didn’t, and Pacher is already back in the peloton.

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Pacher has a bit of a gap, just over 10 seconds, but will likely need support from others if he’s to stand a chance of staying out there.

2026-03-12T11:56:00.616Z

Correction – Pacher is on the attack, while Pavel Sivakov is the rider to abandon.

2026-03-12T11:55:25.233Z

It’s been announced that Quentin Pacher has abandoned the race, becomming the first Groupama-FDJ rider to drop out.

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We also have live coverage of today’s Tirreno-Adriatico stage, where, unlike here in France, a breakaway has managed to form.

Still no breakaway has been formed. This could be a long, intense battle that continues for a while yet.

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King of the Moiuntains Casper Pedersen was part of a small group that also tried to go clear a little earlier, but were’t allowed to. It’s important that he ends up in the day’s break if he’s to stay in the polka-dot jersey.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

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Kluckers was out there for a couple of kilometres, but has been brought back.

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Arthur Kluckers of Tudor is the lastest rider to try and get away.

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The Jayco rider who attacekd earlier was Robert Donaldson, but he did not manage to get away.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

We’re about 15km into the stage, and still no sign of a break forming.

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A familiar sight – Jonas Vingegaard back in the yellow jersey.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

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There’s now a group of riders leading the race, but only with a small lead over a peloton not willing to let them go.

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The Australian team has been aggressive throughout this Paris-Nice, and continue to be so despite (now that Ackermann has also pulled out) having lost more riders than any other team.

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A Jayco-AlUla rider has made an attack.

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(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-03-12T11:07:28.774Z

After all the drama yesterday, and the additional dropouts this morning, we’re left with just 134 riders in the peloton.

And they’re off!

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The peloton is a little lighter than that which finished yesterday’s stage. Three more riders have abandoned overnight – sprinters Pascal Ackermann and Casper van Uden, now surely run out of stage win opportunities, plus Toms Skujiņš, who endured a rough day yesterday.

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The peloton waiting at the start, enjoying the blue sky.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

2026-03-12T10:57:07.347Z

The riders are moving through the neutralised zone. Given the nature of the parcours, and just how few riders and teams are now competing for GC, you can expect a big battle to get into the day’s break right from the flag.

2026-03-12T10:55:32.727Z

We shouldn’t expect the carnage of yesterday’s stage, for one primary reason – the weather. The sun is back out again and the rain has ceased, which will make for a much more pleasant and less hazardous day in the saddle.

2026-03-12T10:51:50.710Z

The consequence of that stage means that it appears the race for GC at Paris-Nice has already come down to a two horse race, between leader Jonas Vingegaard, and the man 52 seconds behind him on GC, Dani Martínez. But the nature of the parcours and conditions here means that plenty more twists and turns could yet lie ahead, and, with so many people now so far down on GC, there will surely be a big appetite for attacking, that could engineer some chaotic racing.

2026-03-12T10:48:39.480Z

When designing this stage, and the overall route of this year’s Paris-Nice, the organisers probably expected things to remain tight and open at the top of the GC. They couldn’t have anticipated what would happen on yesterday’s stage four, where foul weather exploded the race, and now there are only three riders within five minutes of the overall leader.