Schachmann consolidates lead with solid time trial 

Max Schachmann strengthened his hold on the lead in the Paris-Nice race on Wednesday after finishing second in the time trial behind Soeren Kragh Andersen

Schachmann, a German who rides for Bora, finished the 15.1 kilometre ride in Saint-Amand-Montrond six seconds slower than Kragh Andersen, a Dane who rides for Sunweb.

The 26-year-old started the day with a 13-second lead and increased his advantage to 58 seconds.

Wednesday's winner Kragh Andersen jumped from 19th to second overall. His team leader Tiesj Benoot slipped to seventh, 12 seconds further back.

"I like some hills and tempo shifts so it was super good for me," the Dane said after the victory. "I'm here to help the team and Tiesj. This was my chance. I'm so glad I took it."

Julian Alaphilippe of Deceuninck, who was riding round his home town, placed 18th.

"It was a bit of a day of mixed feelings – the satisfaction of extending my overall lead and the slight disappointment in missing the stage win. At the top, I could see I was leading. I wanted to improve on my performance in Algarve two weeks ago, where I kept a steady pace throughout the stage, while here I went all-in on the climbs. I think Kragh was excellent today – really fast – and I was very close, so I'm satisfied. I extended my overall lead but I will fight until the end, as much as I can in order to defend the yellow jersey. I have already checked the climbs, I know what lies ahead, it will be hard but I think there is a chance." – Maximilian Schachmann

Thursday's fifth stage is the longest of the event, a hilly 227km from Gannat to La Cote-Saint-Andre where the flat finish could give the sprinters a last chance to make an impact.

VIDEO: 2020 Paris-Nice Stage 4 Highlights

2020 Paris-Nice Stage 4 Top 10

1 Søren Kragh Andersen (Den) Team Sunweb 0:18:51
2 Maximilian Schachmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:00:06
3 Kasper Asgreen (Den) Deceuninck-Quickstep 0:00:12
4 Thomas De Gendt (Bel) Lotto Soudal 0:00:13
5 Pello Bilbao (Spa) Bahrain McLaren 0:00:15
6 Victor Campenaerts (Bel) NTT Pro Cycling 0:00:17
7 Michael Matthews (Aus) Team Sunweb 0:00:18
8 Stefan Küng (Swi) Groupama-FDJ 0:00:26
9 Tobias Ludvigsson (Swe) Groupama-FDJ 0:00:27
10 Lawson Craddock (USA) EF Pro Cycling 0:00:29

2020 Paris-Nice GC after Stage 4

1 Maximilian Schachmann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe 13:30:58
2 Søren Kragh Andersen (Den) Team Sunweb 0:00:58
3 Felix Grossschartner (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:01:01
4 Nils Politt (Ger) Israel Start-Up Nation 0:01:05
5 Sergio Andres Higuita Garcia (Col) EF Pro Cycling 0:01:06
6 Dylan Teuns (Bel) Bahrain McLaren 0:01:10
7 Tiesj Benoot (Bel) Team Sunweb 0:01:11
8 Mads Schmidt Würtz (Den) Israel Start-Up Nation
9 Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita) NTT Pro Cycling 0:01:15
10 Michael Matthews (Aus) Team Sunweb 0:01:16