Australian cyclist Stuart O'Grady has claimed the overall lead in the Paris to Nice race with third place on the opening stage of the French classic.

Italy's Alessandro Petacchi of the Fassa Bortolo team won a sprint finish to take the stage for the second consecutive year.

Petacchi, 29, pipped Australian sprinter Robbie McEwen to the line following the 191.5km run which got off to a slow start under warm temperatures with just 27km covered in the first hour.

"It was an epic sprint," said O'Grady.

"The final kilometers were very dangerous. I should have won the stage but it's already good to have the jersey. It wasn't a great day for me. I had to race more with my head as the legs suffered."

O'Grady, of the Credit Agricole team, took the overall leader's jersey following his fourth place finish in Sunday's prologue time trial.

French rider Stephane Auge made most of the running, embarking on a solo break after the hour mark before being caught ten minutes from the finish line.

Over the final 15km French trio Sebastien Joly, Richard Virenque and Cedric Vasseur fought hard for a home win, but Joly was caught 600 metres from the line.

"I hid for most of the day. I only came out on the crucial final 200 metres," said Petacchi, who had received treatment for a cough following Sunday's prologue.

"I wasn't at my best because I had problems breathing. To be honest the win belongs to the team who protected me throughout the stage. I wanted to win to thank them."

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP