Jonas Vingegaard returns, Classics prep and TTT time: Everything you need to know about Paris-Nice

Paris-Nice
Saturday 9-16 March
Distance: 1,206km over eight stages

The first European WorldTour stage race of the year is here, with Paris-Nice presenting a Tour de France in miniature across the country. It runs concurrently with Tirreno-Adriatico in Italy, with the best male riders in the world split across the pair.

Taking place in France over eight days, this year's 83rd edition stretches from the Parisian suburb of Le Perray-en-Yvelines, down through the country's mountainous centre, and on to the sunlit riviera of Nice.

Paris-Nice falls in week two of TNT Sports being the home of live cycling in the UK, so make sure you're across how to watch cycling there, and the rest of the world too.

Six things to know about Paris-Nice

Vingegaard is back

The Visma-Lease a Bike project to reclaim the Tour de France is well underway, and Paris-Nice is a key part of that. The eight-stage race can seem like a Tour in miniature, and Jonas Vingegaard will have the opportunity to prove that he is on course to tackle Tadej Pogačar this summer. A lack of a GC title here feels like a gap in the Dane’s career, that he will be keen to fill in.

Wind at the Race to the Sun

When one thinks of Paris-Nice, crosswinds loom large. As the race crosses central France, the corners and the famous named winds of the country come into play - the Mistral, the Tramontane and others. GC riders will have to be alert to not miss out on splits in the peloton, because it might ruin a race early on, before the climbs even come into the picture.

USA domination

Last year saw the first American winner of Paris-Nice since Floyd Landis in 2006, and probably the first ever untainted one at that, in Matteo Jorgenson. Brandon McNulty also finished on the podium, as there was a stars and stripes theme to proceedings. Jorgenson will likely be riding in support of Vingegaard this year, but don’t count the Yanks out.

Classics preparation

Paris-Nice, coming so early in the season, has an odd mix of GC riders and Classics specialists, heading on completely different programmes. This year is no different, with people like Mads Pedersen, Stefan Küng and Michael Matthews present, looking to fine tune their form ahead of Milan-San Remo and the rest, while Vingegaard, Ben O’Connor and João Almeida are all in for Grand Tours later in the season.

TTT time

For the third season in a row, Paris-Nice will have a team time trial rather than an individual one, with this year's being 28.4km long on stage three. It is all part of race organiser ASO - the people behind the Tour to - being more into the format, the climax of which will be a TTT at the Tour next summer. Remember, in this new-fangled format, time is taken individually.

Tirreno-Adriatico is on too

Run concurrently, Tirreno-Adriatico is the other option for riders looking to get some kilometres in their legs in early March. There isn’t quite as much climbing in Italy, but the lineup is still pretty good, with Mathieu van der Poel, Adam Yates and Tom Pidcock all taking part in the seven-stage race on the other side of the Alps.

Paris-Nice stage guide

Focus on: The Col d'Eze

The Col d’Eze returns to this year’s final Paris-Nice stage to play its usual role on the final run into Nice. It is a real brute of a climb, with pitches touching 13% on the long drag to the summit, making it the perfect launchpad for a final GC showdown if the race is not yet decided. Primož Roglič very nearly lost the race on the Eze in 2022 after Simon Yates put him to the sword on the final day. The overall favourites will need to be on their guard when it arrives if they’re to secure a spot on the final podium.

How to watch Paris-Nice

It is on TNT Sports in the UK and Ireland, accessible via a TV package or a Discovery+ subscription. Read more in our how to watch Paris-Nice guide.

Last year's Paris-Nice podiums

1. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Visma-Lease a Bike
2. Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step
3. Brandon McNulty (USA) UAE Team Emirates

Riders to watch at Paris-Nice

Jonas Vingegaard (Visma–Lease a Bike) *****

The Dane won the recent Volta ao Algarve, his first race of the season, and will be aiming for overall victory in Nice to continue his fine form. Stages four, seven and eight look to be where he will launch his bid for the overall, at a race that has so far eluded him.

Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) ****

As his spring targets draw closer, Pedersen will look to use Paris-Nice as an opportunity to build form ahead of a return to Paris-Roubaix and the other major cobbled Classics. The Dane bettered Matthieu van der Poel to win Gent-Wevelgem in 2024, and a Paris-Nice stage win will put him on track to match that this time out.

Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) ****

Merlier is a man in form going into Paris-Nice, with four individual victories already across his first two outings of the new campaign, the AlUla and UAE Tours. The 32-year-old will be the man to beat on the flatter stages as he looks to nail down a spot on Soudal Quick-Step’s Tour de France roster in July.

Ben O’Connor (Jayco AlUla) ***

The Australian will be a relative unknown quantity in what will be his second race since joining Jayco. O’Connor finished tenth at the Volta a la Communitat Valenciana in early February, and will be aiming to make a significant step up on the road to Nice, potentially even challenging for victory if all goes to plan.

Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike) ****

With Vingegaard set to be on the startline, it’s unlikely that last year’s winner will lead Visma-Lease a Bike this time round. Nevertheless, Jorgenson will be aiming to fly high on GC should the Dane’s expected tilt at overall victory not materialise, and is likely to be a key protagonist across the eight days of racing.