Stage 3 - 2012 Paris-Nice

Pate Helps Defend Wiggins’ Lead

Stage Results:

1-Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar Team (4:36:19)
2-Simon Gerrans (Aus) GreenEdge Cycling Team
3-Gianni Meersman (Bel) Lotto-Belisol Team
20-Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Team Sky
168-Danny Pate (USA) Team Sky (+9:48)

Stage three of Paris-Nice ended in fine fashion for Team Sky as the goal of the day to keep Wiggins in yellow was met. The strength of the team was rock solid and Danny Pate’s SRM race file shows the demands of defending a race lead.

Race Summary by the Numbers

Time: 4:46
Distance: 194kms
Wattage: 264W avg (300 normalized power)
Training Stress Score: 282TSS
Energy: 4788KJ
Body weight 73.5kg

Whereas stage two represented a battle against the wind characterized by short intense efforts, stage three was controlled by Team Sky for the majority of the race. The team set a steady, consistent pace ensuring that a three-man breakaway didn’t gain too much time. Due to the punchy nature of stage two, and no team taking control, it had much higher power values for every duration less than 2hrs, but stage three had a much higher overall power value of 264W (for 4:46), compared to Stage two’s 208W (for 4:34).

Pate’s story of the day was setting a high pace on the front of the peloton along with his teammates as a way to protect Wiggins and to keep the breakaway in check. Pate was a part of the rotation for nearly 145kms where he averaged 280W (299 normalized power).

The final 50kms included two category 3 climbs and other teams took control on the front and increased the speed as a way to try and put pressure on their general classification rivals. You can see this section within Pate’s file where he averaged 321W for 17 minutes, or 4.3 w/kg. The increased aggression and speed quickly separated the peloton into several groups and Pate ended up crossing the finish line in the third group some nine minutes behind Wiggins. Pate’s last 30 minutes only averaged 234w as his duties were done and recovering for stage four was the primary goal.

The pressure on Team Sky will certainly grow as the race heads towards southern France and harder climbs await. Wednesday’s Stage four should be even harder than stage three given the profile, which includes five categorized climbs (three category 3’s and two category 2’s).

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