INFO WITH ONE DAY TO GO

March 7 ^th 2026 - 18:03

The 84th edition of Paris-Nice begins with a 170.9 km stage in the Yvelines department. A sprint finish is one of the possible scenarios, but the first leader's jersey at stake in Carrières-sous-Poissy could also go to a rider who manages to make the decisive move in a demanding finale.

Jonas Vingegaard will be the favourite to watch in his return to racing. The Danish champion, supported by a strong Visma-Lease a Bike team, will have to battle it out with UAE Team Emirates-XRG’s Brandon McNulty, Lidl-Trek’s Juan Ayuso and the Ineos-Grenadiers, who are fielding Oscar Onley, Carlos Rodriguez and Kévin Vauquelin...

Among the French riders aiming for the top, David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) has a strong track record to draw on with his 2nd place finish in 2023, while Valentin Paret-Peintre will be making his Paris-Nice debut as the leader of Soudal-Quick Step.

YANNICK TALABARDON: “THE BATTLE COULD START ABOUT FIFTY KILOMETRES FROM THE FINISH LINE”

The weather should already be favourable as the Race to the Sun kicks off on Sunday in the Yvelines department. The sky should be clear, and the wind gusts that often disrupt the early stages of Paris-Nice aren’t expected either. Nevertheless, the first stage, covering 170.9 kilometres around Achères and Carrières-sous-Poissy, is hard to predict, with many possible scenarios on demanding roads. With an elevation gain of nearly 2,000 metres, this is the most selective opening stage since the race left behind prologues to systematically start with a road race (2017).

"We have classified it as a sprinters' stage, but if there is a mass finish, I find it very hard to imagine that there could be more than 60 to 70 riders in the leading group, given that most of the difficulties are concentrated in the second part of the stage”, course architect Yannick Talabardon explains. “The final battle could begin with the Côte de Vaux-sur-Seine, about 50 kilometres from the finish. I think the teams did some reconnaissance this morning and they will all refine their strategy, because there are some interesting moves to be made, especially on the final circuit. The wall of Chanteloup-les-Vignes isn't extremely steep, but if you can open up a small gap there, then you can capitalise on the 2.5 km flat section that follows it. And as this springboard is tailor-made for climbers and puncheurs, we can even expect the favourites in the general classification to try their luck if they want to open up the race.”

FIRST RACE, FIRST WIN FOR VINGEGAARD?

“Whenever I line up at the start, I always want to go for the win,” Jonas Vingegaard says as he makes Paris-Nice his first race of 2026, after skipping the UAE Tour due to physical issues (a crash in training followed by illness). “The competition has more race kilometres in the legs, but I’m really looking forward to riding this beautiful race”, the Visma-Lease a Bike leader added ahead of his bid to succeed Matteo Jorgenson and thus retain the Paris-Nice title in his team’s vault.

The Danish climber is no stranger to early success — he’s won his first race in the last three years (O Gran Camiño in 2023 and 2024, Volta ao Algarve in 2025). He’s also shown strong legs in his two previous participations in Paris-Nice, most notably finishing 3rd overall in 2023, but a crash took him out of the race last year after he took the overall lead. Most rivals now tout him as the favourite for the overall win in the 84th edition of the Race to the Sun.

To support his ambition to settle the score, Vingegaard comes with spectacular support, including powerhouses such as Bruno Armirail, Victor Campenaerts, Edoardo Affini, and Wilco Kelderman to make the most of the team time trial, like they did in 2023 and 2025. And they can also count on Axel Zingle to try and take the first leader’s jersey, like they did in 2022 (Christophe Laporte) and 2024 (Olav Kooij).

CHRISTIAN KNEES: “TO RECLAIM VICTORY SHOULD BE THE END GOAL”

Ineos Grenadiers, and previously Team Sky, dominated Paris-Nice in the 2010s, with six wins between 2012 and 2019. Their line-up for the 2026 edition position the British squad as strong contenders to get back on top of the standings, with homegrown talent Carlos Rodriguez or newcomers Oscar Onley and Kévin Vauquelin.

Sports director Christian Knees was a teammate in the victorious assaults of Bradley Wiggins (2012), Richie Porte (2015) and Sergio Henao (2017). Past experience and current strength fuel his ambitions: “It’s still hard competition and a hard eight days coming up. A lot can happen down the road, but we have a very strong team here and obviously we do bike racing because we want to win, so to reclaim success in Paris-Nice should be the end goal.”

Knees counts not only on his three leaders but also a strong support cast to control the race: “Dorian Godon is a very strong engine. Joshua Tarling is absolutely key for our TTT performance, but there’s more in him. Kwiato, I don’t need to say much… Sam Watson is a good young guy. It’s a fantastic team to have!”

FABIO BALDATO: “MCNULTY IS A STRONG OPTION”

With 14 victories by eight different riders since the start of 2026, UAE Team Emirates-XRG set a dominant tone. To follow in the footsteps of Tadej Pogacar, winner of Paris-Nice in 2023, they had planned to take charge on the Race to the Sun with Joao Almeida, but the Portuguese star was forced to withdraw due to the flu.

Nevertheless, sports director Fabio Baldato sets high ambitions for this edition as UAE Team Emirates-XRG: “We took Brandon McNulty out of Tirreno Adriatico so we could still have a strong option here. He started the season well, the team time trial suits him, and so do the short and steep climbs after that. He’s already been on the podium of Paris-Nice [3rd in 2024] so we can start the race with ambition and motivation.”

Also a stage winner in 2022, McNulty even wore the yellow and white leader’s jersey at the start of the final stage in 2024, before losing it to compatriot and rival Matteo Jorgenson.

STEVEN DE JONGH: “JUAN AYUSO WANTS TO ENJOY HIS GOOD SHAPE”

A winner of the Volta ao Algarve in his first race with Lidl-Trek, Juan Ayuso enters Paris-Nice as a sole leader after Mattias Skjelmose’s last-minute withdrawal due to tenosynovitis of the right wrist. “That’s one strong player less for us in the mountains”, sports director Steven De Jongh says. “But we won’t be missing a GC leader — Juan is in great form! He really likes to race, and he’s in good shape, so he wants to enjoy it.”

At 23 years old, the young Spaniard will discover the traps and challenges of the Race to the Sun as the leader of a team used to shining in the event, with stage wins in every edition since 2022. This time, in the absence of Skjelmose as well as Mads Pedersen (fractured collarbone and wrist), the aim is on the final standings. “The first two stages are about staying safe, not to lose any time with our GC leader and keep the focus on the third day with the team time trial, and then we’ll get to Juan Ayuso’s terrain”, De Jongh explains.

VALENTIN PARET-PEINTRE: “THE FINISH IN AURON SUITS ME BEST”

Among the best French climbers, winner atop Mont Ventoux during the last Tour de France, Valentin Paret-Peintre discovers Paris-Nice at the helm of Soudal Quick-Step. “I wanted to come because it’s a mythical race and, as a Frenchman, it’s a must,” the lightweight says ahead of his debut in the Race to the Sun. “My abilities are best suited to Grand Tours, so I don’t know how much I’ll focus on GC, but I won’t lose time on purpose, although the main ambition is to get a stage win.”

Paret-Peintre thus eyes the final week-end around Nice: “The finish in Auron is the one that suits me best. There will be strong competition, but that’s natural in a race like Paris-Nice. With Vingegaard, Ayuso and also Lenny Martinez, who won a stage last year, it will be the opportunity to test myself against these elite riders.”

11 PARIS-NICE STAGE WINNERS IN THE PELOTON

Among the 154 riders on the start list, 11 have already claimed at least a stage win in Paris-Nice:
. David de la Cruz (2017, Nice / 2018, Nice)
. Stefan Bissegger (2021, ITT Gien)
. Cees Bol (2021, Amilly)
. Soren Kragh Andersen (2020, Saint-Amand-Montrond)
. Michal Kwiatkowski (2015, Prol. Maurepas)
. Ion Izagirre (2019, Nice)
. Dani Martinez (2019, Col de Turini)
. Lenny Martinez (2025, La-Côte-Saint-André)
. Brandon McNulty (2022, Saint-Sauveur-de-Montagut)
. Rudy Molard (2018, Vence)
. Aleksandr Vlasov (2024, La Madone d’Utelle)

In addition, 8 riders in the peloton of Paris-Nice 2026 have finished on the overall podium:
. Michal Kwiatkowski, 2nd in 2015, 3rd in 2019
. Marc Soler, winner in 2018
. Aleksandr Vlasov, 2nd in 2021
. Ion Izagirre, 3rd in 2021
. Dani Martinez, 3rd in 2022
. David Gaudu, 2nd in 2023
. Jonas Vingegaard, 3rd in 2023
. Brandon McNulty, 3rd in 2024