Two-time Tour de France champion Alberto Contador seized control of the Paris-Nice when he snatched a solo win in the fourth stage to lead a Spanish one-two-three on Thursday.
The Astana rider attacked the pack in the final ascent to Mende and beat compatriots Alejandro Valverde and Samuel Sanchez by 10 seconds.
“It was a difficult day. I was not sure what the best tactics were, but I tried and I made the difference. I am satisfied,” Contador told reporters.
The Spaniard experienced a tough start to the race in gusty winds, freezing temperatures and a crash that left him bruised on Monday.
“It had been very difficult with the crash and the wind. Now the race is on, but there are still three difficult days ahead.”
Contador, who cracked in the penultimate stage of the race last year, snatched the yellow jersey from German Jens Voigt and now leads Valverde by 24 seconds, with Czech Roman Kreuziger in third place 25 seconds off the pace.
German Heinrich Haussler, who crashed with Contador on Monday, pulled out after 35km with a knee injury.
A group of seven led by France’s Jerome Pineau broke away early in the stage and built a gap of four minutes, 30 seconds, but the Saxo Bank and Astana teams stepped up a gear as the peloton caught the fugitives around 15km from the line.
As expected, Contador made his move midway through the ascent to Mende, a 3.1km effort at an average gradient of 10.1 percent.
He followed Christophe Le Mevel when the Frenchman tried his luck in the first stages of the climb, before leaving everyone for dead when he decided to accelerate.
None of his rivals could match his pace.
Voigt cracked, along with last year’s winner Luis Leon Sanchez of Spain, while Valverde and Olympic champion Sanchez could only limit the damage.
Voigt crossed the line 44 seconds behind Contador, while Sanchez, who last year took full advantage of his compatriot’s failure in the penultimate stage, was 29 seconds off the winner’s pace.
■TIRRENO-ADRIATICO
REUTERS, ROME
Belgian Tom Boonen burned off his rivals in a sprint finish to claim the second stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico on Thursday ahead of German Paul Martens and Italian Daniele Bennati.
Germany’s Linus Gerdemann, who won Wednesday’s first stage, retained the overall lead. Boonen is second with the same time.
Quick Step’s Boonen stayed on the tail of Bennati, whose Liquigas team controlled the closing stages of the stage, starting and finishing at Montecatini Terme in Tuscany, after the peloton had swallowed up a group of four early breakaways.
He then pounced with the finish line approaching to claim victory with relative ease and show that he is in good shape before this month’s Milan-San Remo classic.
“I worked hard to stay up at the front today and I did a good sprint,” Boonen said.
Britain’s Mark Cavendish struggled again after finishing a long way back on Wednesday and looks far from the spectacular form he showed last year.
The Columbia sprinter’s start to the season has been disrupted by dental problems that caused him to miss training and some races.
Friday’s third stage is a 159km ride from San Miniato back to Monsummano Terme, with two climbs in the last section.
The Tirreno-Adriatico, the first big stage race of the Italian season, ends on Tuesday.
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