Roglic gave no sign of weakness in the final of this tough stage criss-crossing the rough and steep roads of the Ardèche to the small town of Saint-Sauveur-de-Montagut.

But the Slovenian found himself lonely on the last climb when the Australian Rohan Dennis, long involved, had moved away 12 kilometers from the finish.

The other strongman of the Dutch team, the Belgian Wout van Aert, got up much earlier, at the start of the last 40 kilometers, on the steep slopes of the Col de la Mure.

The wearer of the leader's jersey, prodigal of his efforts at the start of the week, was economical, this time, to reach the finish with a delay of more than 24 minutes compared to the winner.

The leader of Paris-Nice, the Belgian Wout Van Aert, behind his Dutch teammates Steven Kruijswijk, Mike Teunissen and Belgian Nathan Van Hooydonck, during the 5th stage of Paris-Nice, March 10, 2022 between Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert and Saint-Sauveur-de-Montagut FRANCK FIFE AFP

Dominating since day one, the Jumbo formation showed its vulnerability the day the peloton was decimated by abandonments, most often for reasons of flu, sinusitis or bronchitis.

Eighteen runners gave up before the start of the 188.8 kilometers to bring the total number of dropouts to over thirty, a figure two to three times higher than the usual average in Paris-Nice after five days of racing.

McNulty solo winner

Roglic, who benefited from the collaboration of the riders of the Bahrain team in the final, put on the yellow jersey he had lost last year during the last stage.

With an advantage limited to less than a minute over four riders, the Briton Simon Yates, the Frenchman Pierre Latour, the Colombian Daniel Martinez and the Russian Aleksandr Vlasov.

To win the stage, McNulty attacked without firing a shot 39 kilometers from the finish to distance his companions.

Behind him, Frenchman Franck Bonnamour secured second place, nearly two minutes away.

American Brandon McNulty escapes during the 5th stage of Paris-Nice, disputed between Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert and Saint-Sauveur-de-Montagut, on March 10, 2022 FRANCK FIFE AFP

"The course was either uphill or downhill. I wanted to give it my all on the climbs and take fewer risks on the descents, so it was better to go solo," explained the young American (23 years), whose ambitions in the general classification were destroyed by a crash in the second stage.

McNulty, who enjoys protected status with Tadej Pogacar's UAE squad, took his first WorldTour success, the third of the season.

Less than two weeks after his victory in the Ardèche Classic, on the roads of the same department.

The American Brandon McNulty, winner of the 5th stage of Paris-Nice, disputed between Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert and Saint-Sauveur-de-Montagut, March 10, 2022 FRANCK FIFE AFP

Friday, the 6th stage, the longest of the event, connects Courthézon (Vaucluse) to Aubagne (Bouches-du-Rhône) over 213.6 kilometers with the Col de l'Espigoulier less than 30 kilometers from the finish.

© 2022 AFP