Image 1 of 5

BMC may have hoped that its perfect team performance on 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:stage 5 of Paris-Nice would give 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Tejay Van Garderen the leg-up he needed to compete for stage honours in Mende, but despite the best laid plans, it was not to be. The American slipped out of the lead group agonisingly close to end of the tricky finale, allowing Lieuwe Westra (Vacansoleil-DCM), 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) and Simon Spilak (Lampre-ISD) to leapfrog him in the GC standings, wher♔e he now sits in sixth.

Fewer than 15 riders were in the leading group when van🅰 Garderen slipped bac♌k with 600 meters to go. Limiting his losses he crossed the line 12th, to be 39 seconds behind Bradley Wiggins (Sky) in the overall. Critically he's still within a short distance of non-chrono specialists Spilak and Valverde, and hopes to recapture a position on the podium in the Nice time trial.

"The team rode per🐠fec♛tly and I wish I could have stayed a bit closer on the final climb," van Garderen said. "But with the time trial coming up [Sunday], I think I still have a good shot for the podium. A couple of the guys ahead of me aren't specialists, so I'm hoping to get the podium back."

BMC's director sportif Rik ꦚVerbrugghe said he was proud of van Garderen's performance on the final twisting, three-kilometer climb that averaged 10 percent grade.

"This is the first time he's done this climb so it's a good learning process," Verbrugghe said. "He was good, but just not good enou🍌gh to foll𒀰ow the best riders."