welcome to VeloNews.com's Live Coverage of the 1st stage of the 66th edition of "The Race to the Sun," Paris-Nice.

was slated to cover 184.5 kilometers from the site of yesterday's prologue time trial in Amilly to Nevers. Well, the peloton will be covering that distance today, but 110.5 of those kilometers will be taken on by bus.

Heavy rain and strong - okay, brutal - winds have prompted race officials to move the day's start to Sancerre, just 74km from the finish in Nevers. That move eliminates the sole categorized climb and sets up an almost guaranteed sprint finish in Nevers today. We say "almost" because the winds are still blowing and the winds may just prove to be decisive if the peloton breaks up into echelons and someone decides to put the gas on during this remarkably shortened stage. We're scrounging through our record books to see if we can find a similarly shortened stage that didn't involve big mountains and snow.

It seems that the weather gods may be siding with the UCI in the weeks' of political wrangling.

that caused the change today is pretty bad. Winds are gusting up to 55kph at what was the original start in Amilly.

At the finish in Nevers the weather isn't much better, though. Winds are gusting around 30- 35kph and the rain has been falling on-and-off all day. The official start time, of course, has been delayed as well and it will be a while before things begin rolling at the new start in Sancerre.

Team buses are at the start and riders are getting ready to brave the weather. The conditions are worse here than they were even during the fourth stage of the Tour of California. It's a risk you take when you organize bicycle races in February and March, eh?

Of course, the big question is if this weather front will stick around long enough to affect other stages, especially Thursday's 176-kilometer ride, which finishes atop Mont Ventoux. Right now, forecasts for Thursday call for sunny weather and we're hoping that remains the case.

is set for 2:30 p.m. The weather is such that we have to wonder how eager riders are to take on even this shortened stage.

45 minutes from today's start. If you're in the office (we know you're checking in from work), hoping for updates, we'll be following the stage from start to finish, although today's stage will be just 74km in length. Today's shortened route will cover some rolling terrain from Sancerre to Nevers. The day's only climb - a Category 3 - has been eliminated. While that is gone, riders will still be facing a bigger challenge from the gusting winds and rain. It could be splitting the field if anyone is feeling particularly randy today.

another change, folks.

The organizers have shifted the start back to the feedzone... meaning that the stage will be extended to 93.5 kilometers. That also means that the Category 3 climb will be included after all.

We're learning about all of this as things develop. Sorry for the initial confusion. It's something of a cluster at the finish, as we try to get news of events down the road.

heading to the hotel last night, our guy Andrew Hood ran into a hail storm so bad it reminded him of "my Colorado days... I've never seen anything like it here in Europe. I thought my windshield was going to get bashed in. Good thing I'm in a rental!"

moved to La Chapelotte, riders will drop down a descent and the work their way up the Category 3 Cote de Venoize, which summits 15 kilometers into the shortened stage. The change will also result in the elimination of one of the day's two planned intermediate sprints, meaning that the only one on tap will come at around 56km in Villequiers.

is going to be the biggest factor out here today. At the finish in Nevers, the wind is blowing at 40- 50kph and it feels like the roof is about to be blown off of the press room. With a tough little climb at the finish - it's got to be about 700 meters of 7 percent grade - we could see a surprise - and lucky - winner today.

Assuming the riders actually make it - the final hump to the finish line will provide for an interesting sprint. The final 700 meters are steep enough to fracture the bunch and derail any attempts of a set-up train. It's ideal for a puncheur like Philippe Gilbert (FDJeux) or Jens Voigt (CSC) to give it a go. Gert Steegmans (QuickStep) is one of those riders strong enough to mark the wheel and turn it up a gear if it does stay tightly packed to the line. Stefan Schumacher (Gerolsteiner) is another who could pop.

According to race officials, the race should be underway now... but race radio is having a tough time of things. We're hearing very little. Indeed, we doubt we'll even get a video feed for much of the day because of the weather. It relies on airplanes to relay images from the motorcycles and, well that ain't happenin' today.

Despite a name that makes him sound like the god of thunder, Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole) is probably really wishing he was somewhere else today. The Norwegian bruiser had no choice but to race Paris-Nice because his team wasn't invited to Tirreno-Adriatico.

"I'd prefer to be at Tirreno because it has more stages for sprinters and it's a better preparation for Milan-San Remo, which is my main goal for the spring," Hushovd said. "There are at best two stages for sprinters. Oh well, I will make the best of it." '

He already has, taking his first leader's jersey since winning the 2006 Tour de France prologue.

the peloton has left the start. Race radio reports that 160 riders left La Chapelotte, so we're thinking that Tyler Farrar, who crashed in yesterday's prologue, did actually make it today. We were having our doubts. We're double checking to confirm, but that's good news.

The pace has been quite high from the start. Maybe these guys want to get this thing over with as soon as possible... or maybe someone is hoping to shake things up on the Cote de Venoize.

This storm is packing some serious power. Both Great Britain and France have been hit hard. Off the coast of France, an 88-meter-long cargo vessel, the "Artemis," ran aground on a beach at Sables-d'Olonne, on the Atlantic west coast, according to the local government office.

Slightly further north, in Britanny, a search resumed for a 26-year-old man missing since Sunday after falling in the sea in Relecq-Kerhuon, near the port city of Brest.

"We haven't had one this strong this year," Emmanuel Bocri, a forecaster for Meteo France, told Agence France Presse "In general there are one or two of this strength each winter."

Tyler Farrar did make today's start, but he was really upset with his crash about 2km from the finish in Sunday's prologue. He was setting some fast splits and looked on track to be bucking for the win when his wheel slipped out on a wet corner. Although banged up pretty bad, he vowed to press on. "My own personal goals were the prologue and the first two stages, but now we'll see how I can react after the crash," he said. "After that, I will help our leaders and train for the classics."

Farrar said he's on track to make a good run at the Classics this year. He crashed out of Ghent-Wevelgem last year in a nasty fall, but rode the entire spring working with Cofidis captain Nick Nuyens. He'll get his chances this year with Slipstream-Chipotle.

His schedule includes Milan-San Remo, Waregem, 3 Days of De Panne, Flanders and Roubaix. The team is waiting to hear if they'll be going to Ghent-Wevelgem.

"It was too bad to crash, because I was on a good ride, he said. "At least I know the form is good."

Weather or no, there is a bike race going on and Euskaltel's Dionisio Galparsoro gave it a dig on the Cote de Venoize. He's over the top, but we're not certain if he has company.

Galparsoro, who scored top points (four) on the climb, was joined by High Road's Bernard Eisel, Niki Terpstra and Peter Velits from Milram. He went back to the peloton, but the others rode on. Andriy Grivko (Milram) is close to joining the break. Maybe they think if they ride faster they can make it to the airport and catch a plane home. We won't tell them that most flights in the region have been canceled due to weather.

Of course with just one climb on the route today, Galparsoso will be the KOM jersey recipient today, assuming he isn't picked up by the wind and blown off the road before he gets to Nevers.

didn't manage to bridge, so we have a three-man break composed of High ROad's Bernhard Eisel and Niki Terpstra and Peter Velits of Milram. Those are about 50 seconds ahead of the field.

Looks like he's not enjoying himself in the rain. The gap is now up to 2:05.

the three leaders are 58km from the day's finish in Nevers. The leading three are 2:12 up the road and the peloton is letting (forcing?) Credit Agricole do all the work in the main field.

If you have questions or comments today, drop us a note by hitting the "Contact the Editors" link below the Live Update Window. We'll try to answer a good selection of questions.

have extended their lead to about 2:45. The Credit Agricole boys aren't all that interested in putting in a big effort... they just want to slog their way to the finish. The team said it was not going to take any huge risks defending the Hushovd's jersey.

there was some talk at California that the weather was so rough on stage 4 that some of the European teams might opt out of showing up next year. Well, if this is the alternative, they might not have too many options, eh?

is up to 4:00 and there are just 50km remaining. The guys off the front may have timed this one perfectly.

is easing off a little. It's still coming down, but it's not as hard as it was before. Of course, the wind is still blowing hard and the temperatures are in the low 40s, so it ain't all that pleasant. Remember folks, they call this "The Race to the Sun," not "The Race of the Sun."

Meanwhile, now that the gap has grown to more than 4:00, the FDJeux team is lending a hand in the chase.

the gap is still growing, with 49km remaining. The three men up front - High Road's Bernard Eisel, Niki Terpstra and Peter Velits from Milram - are working well together. There seems to be a solid level of cooperation... for now. With two Milrams up there, we can expect these guys to take advantage of Eisel as the finish line approaches.

Shawn writes:

Yes, checking updates while at work in Omaha, NE- and glad I am not riding in the conditions that the riders are!

It seems as though the riders have been pretty quiet about the ASO move to not invite Astana to ASO events. Are they just afraid to speak out against the ASO publicly? I cannot see how any rider would support the ASO move of punishing riders who had no connection with the activities of the past.

Well Shawn, Patrick Lefevre summed it up best the other day when he said the teams had a choice of execution by firing squad or guillotine. The risk exclusion from the world's and Olympics if they get on the wrong side of the UCI and risk exclusion from Paris-Roubaix and the Tour if they buck heads with ASO. Given a choice, we'd bet that sponsors would rather see their riders at the Tour than the other two events, which are less significant and (perhaps more importantly) don't allow sponsor names to play a prominent role in those races.

Several riders, including Cadel Evans, just got caught in a crash. We saw a Gerolsteiner rider slip into a ditch. Evans is back on his bike and chasing hard with a good cadre of teammates helping out.

has made it back to the team cars, but the gap is still huge. He's having to put in a big, big effort.

Meanwhile, the gap is now back down to 4:00 with 44km to go.

the entire team has dropped back to pace Evans back into the field. He will probably make it back, but it will take a big, big effort.

with 43km to go, the gap is under four minutes. The Silence-Lotto effort has paid off. Evans and crew have caught back on.

the three men up front are working nicely. With 40km remaining the gap is down to 3:35, as Rabobank throws a couple of men into the effort in the peloton.

Rabobank, Credit Agricole and FDJeux are all putting in an effort and the gap continues to drop. It's now down to 3:15.

The wind is blowing hard from the right side of the road. The field is breaking up into echelons and there are riders being spit off the back of the field.

It looks like every team - with the exceptions of Milram and High Road - has someone helping with the chase. In addition to trimming the gap, the pressure at the front is blowing things apart in the main field... and the rain is picking up again.

The peloton is down to about 30 riders. We see Hushovd in there. He's made things easy for us today, in that he's wearing a yellow rain jacket. How's that for foresight?

is driving hard. With 33km remaining, the gap is down to 2:35. We're still trying to see how far back the next group is.

Cunego is in a small echelon caught off the back. You see a lot of orange Rabobank coats in that yellow jersey group. Those Dutchmen think this is normal, so they're happy.

remaining, the gap is down to 2:25.

is putting in a big effort in that group. The road turns ahead. We'll be seeing a tailwind for a bit, then the road turns again into a headwind. The final 20km will throw the riders into a crosswind.

With 29km remaining the latest time check gives the three leaders just 2:00 on the Hushovd group.

Hushovd and crew are really driving it. With 27km to go, the gap is coming down fast as the wind and rain are picking up again.

There are some huge gaps between the echelons out there. It's tough to ID some of the riders in those groups, because everyone is wearing rain gear. The weather and narrow roads have combined to blow apart the entire field.

group is spitting riders off the back. We do not see any of the favorites in that group... with the exception of the yellow jersey himself. He's got teammates in there and they are driving it hard.

With 25km remaining and nothing but head- and crosswinds ahead, it's going to be tough for those groups chasing to make up time.

and Cunego are not in the Hushovd group. They are losing time. It will be interesting to see if any strong climbers made it into the first group. We see Chavanel, Garate and Leon Sanchez up there.

and Millar are back in the Cadel Evans group and they are suffering. That chase group is putting in a big, big effort trying to make up time.

to go, the yellow jersey group is just 1:00 behind the escapees, with the Julich/Evans group another 40 seconds back.

the yellow jersey group is now just 40 seconds behind the three-man break. The Evans group - which does not include Millar - is now 55 seconds behind the Hushovd group.

is picking up again. This is not a very pleasant experience for these guys today.

with 16km to go, the Hushovd group is closing in fast. The Evans/Julich group is still at 1:35, so they're not making up time.

the roads are way wet and the turns are covered in water and that slippery white paint. Riders are being very cautious.

With 14km to go, the three escapees are about to be reeled in by the Hushovd group. The Evans/Julich chase group is losing time and now at 1:40.

of sun... it's still raining and blowing, but the sun is peeking out of the clouds.

is living up to the jersey today. He sees the opportunity to put some time on the competition and is putting in a big effort to ensure that they preserve their advantage.

We reported that Slipstream's Millar was in the chase group, but we just spotted him in the lead group. That could be huge for him.

and crew have bridged up to the Hushovd group, with 8km to go. Evans and others are still about a kilometer behind the leaders. With Frank Schleck in there, we have a major overall contender in the mix.

the front group has grown to include about 45 riders.

from FDJeux's Mickael Cherel with 7km to go. He's joined by Enrico Franzoi - a cyclocrosser who might enjoy this stuff.

the leaders are not getting any time. Hushovd and others are not in the mood to let anyone get too much time.

that the last 700 meters today offers up a 7.1 percent grade.

The escapees have been reeled in. QuickStep's Steegmens tries an attack... but they are not getting much.

Evans continues to lose time. He's at 1:44.

The lead group of about 45 riders is all together again.... CRASH!

was one of the victims of the crash. The roads are slippery.

Millar is up and riding, but Credit Agricole is driving hard at the front.

With 2km remaining, if Millar timed his crash within the final 3km, he may be credited with the winners' times.

Millar may do well on that final stretch.

attacks with 1.5km to go.

caught... but with 300 meters to go, it's all out.... and Steegmans is going for it.

but Steegmans takes it for Quick Step. It looks like Hushovd, however, will hold on to the jersey.

is out. The rain has stopped....

Evans is still out on the road.

It's been 2:00 since the finish and the Evans group is only now approaching the line...

The Evans group - now about 50 riders - cross at 2:40.

1. Gert Steegmans (B), Quick Step
2. Jerome Pineau (F), Bouygues Telecom


3. Thor Hushovd (N), Credit Agricole
4. Philippe Gilbert (B), FdJeux
5. Karsten Kroon (Nl), CSC

and it looks like Steegmans has moved into second on GC, with CSC's Karsten Kroon moving into third.

thanks for tuning in today, folks. We'll be back tomorrow. Stay tuned for Graham Watson photos, results and a full report from Velonews European correspondent Andrew Hood. Heck of a day, wasn't it?