Lamperti maintains US dominance
March 8 th 2026 - 17:08
From 2025 to 2026, USA riders still rule Paris-Nice. Following Matteo Jorgenson and Magnus Sheffield’s triumph last year on the Promenade des Anglais, Luke Lamperti (EF Education-EasyPost) dominated the sprint at the end of stage 1 of the 84th edition of the Race to the Sun. The American youngster took his biggest win so far as he dominated Vito Braet (Lotto Intermarché) and Orluis Aular (Movistar) in Carrières-sous-Poissy, while Biniam Girmay (NSN) had to settle for 5th place. Lamperti will wear the yellow and white jersey as the first leader of Paris-Nice en route to Montargis, on Tuesday.
The 154-man peloton begin Paris-Nice 2026 under cloudy skies in Achères, but the sun rapidly appears to accompany the riders in this first stage of the 84th edition of the Race to the Sun (170.9km to Carrières-sous-Poissy). Kelland O’Brien (Jayco AlUla) doesn’t get to enjoy the favourable weather conditions as he abandons as soon as the race begins.
NSN and Picnic PostNL control the early break
The pace is high, with a handful of attacks and counter-attacks until a group of six riders emerge at km 7 with Casper Pedersen (Soudal-Quick Step), Luke Durbdridge, Patrick Gamper (Jayco AlUla), Max Walker (EF Education-EasyPost), Mathis Le Berre (TotalEnergies), and Sébastien Grignard (Lotto Intermarché).
Biniam Girmay’s NSN Cycling Team and Casper van Uden’s Picnic PostNL drive the bunch to control the gap. The attackers’ lead never gets higher than 1’45’’ at the halfway point. The peloton then pick up the pace as many teams are wary of the hilly and technical finale, with 4 cat-3 ascents.
Pedersen chases the polka dots
Casper Pedersen dominates the first ascent of the day, up the Côte de Gargenville (63.4km to go). The Dane then controls Mathis Le Berre’s attack on the Côte de Vaux-sur-Seine (46.8km) to take 3 more KOM points.
The attackers get back together and push their lead back up to 1’40’’ as they enter the 16.6-km final circuit, to be covered twice in its entirety, with the mighty Côte de Chanteloup-les-Vignes (1.1km at 8.3%), formerly home to the Polymultipliée. Once again, Pedersen goes first at the summit to all but secure the polka-dot jersey.
Lamperti takes over
The gap is still up to 1’15’’ as the race enters the final lap. More teams collaborate at the front of the bunch and bring the gap down to 45’’ at the bottom of the final ascent up Côte de Chanteloup-les-Vignes. Le Berre attacks at the summit but the peloton only trail by 30’’.
With Visma-Lease a Bike’s Bruno Armirail driving a strong chase, the gap drops down to 10’’ with 5 km to go, and the attackers are eventually caught just inside the final 2 km. EF Education-EasyPost power to the front positions for the final kilometre… And USA's Luke Lamperti powers to his biggest career to date, following in the footsteps of Matteo Jorgenson and Magnus Sheffield, who ruled the Pormenade des Anglais on the final day of Paris-Nice 2026.
