Schleck hangs onto fifth

For the first time in two years, CSC didn't finish Paris-Nice with the overall victory, preferring to have a quieter start to the season than usual. After Bobby Julich won the prologue, CSC's best placed rider on GC was Luxembourgian Fränk Schleck, who finished fifth. On the final stage, Schleck took a bonus second in an intermediate sprint, which moved him into a virtual fourth, before Antonio Colom (Caisse d'Epargne) escaped on the last descent to leapfrog over Schleck and Sanchez into third overall.

"Fränk tried to escape but Landis was untouchable," team director Alain Gallopin commented on team-csc.com. "There were a lot of attacks at the end, but we simply didn't have the team to make a difference today. All things considered, we've done well in this race, and apart from the numerous crashes, we've got what we came for. By winning the prologue, capturing the leader's jersey and getting one rider in the top five overall we've made our mark and I think the riders have done a good job. Fränk Schleck has continued to impress and shows great potential to make some excellent results in the near future."