Bouhanni wins Paris-Nice stage

Nemours, France - French champion Nacer Bouhanni, riding for FDJ, won the opening stage of the Paris-Nice on Monday, taking the 195km race from Saint-Germain-en-Laye to Nemours in a sprint finish.

Bouhanni saw off previous race leader and prologue winner Damien Gaudin to take the yellow jersey and also outpaced Italian Alessandro Petacchi and Belgian Jens Debusschere to add to a Tour of Oman stage success earlier this season.

Tuesday's second stage is a 200.5km ride from Vimory to Cerilly.

Results from Monday's first stage of the Paris-Nice, a 195km ride from Saint-Germain-en-Laye to Nemours:

Stage

1. Nacer Bouhanni (FRA/FDJ) 195km in 4hr 47min 24sec, 2. Alessandro Petacchi (ITA/LAM) s.t., 3. Elia Viviani (ITA/CAN) s.t., 4. Jens Debusschere (BEL/LTB) s.t.,

5. Heinrich Haussler (AUS/IAM) s.t., 6. Mark Renshaw (AUS/BLA) s.t., 7. Jose Joaquin Rojas (ESP/MOV) s.t., 8. Leigh Howard (AUS/ORI) s.t., 9. Borut Bozic (SLO/AST) s.t., 10. Romain Feillu (FRA/VAC) s.t.

Overall

1. Nacer Bouhanni (FRA/FDJ) 4hr 51min 01sec, 2. Damien Gaudin (FRA/EUC) s.t., 3. Sylvain Chavanel (FRA/OPQ) at 1sec, 4. Lieuwe Westra (NED/VAC) s.t., 5. Elia Viviani (ITA/LIQ) s.t., 6. Alessandro Petacchi (ITA/LAM) 2, 7. Wilco Kelderman (NED/RAB) s.t., 8. Geoffrey Soupe (FRA/FDJ) s.t., 9. Peter Velits (SVK/OPQ) 3, 10. Tony Gallopin (FRA/RSH) s.t., 11. Borut Bozic (SLO/AST) s.t., 12. Sebastien Turgot (FRA/EUC) 4, 13. Andriy Grivko (UKR/AST) 5, 14. Jose Herrada (ESP/MOV) s.t., 15. Nikolas Maes (BEL/OPQ)