All for one

March 11 ^th 2025 - 04:36

Tim Merlier may be the first rider to win the first two stages of Paris-Nice since 2019, he is pretty sure he’s gonna lose the leader’s yellow and white jersey on Tuesday, after the team time trial held in Nevers. The Belgian star wants his Soudal Quick-Step partners to power to the fore, with a former 2-time winner such as Max Schachmann, but he’s well aware today’s course, with many ups and downs, and the unique format of this TTT is bound to turn the overall standings upside down after the opening sprints of Le Perray-en-Yvelines and Bellegarde, with just the right amount of support from his team.

This time, collective effort will be even more essential… But the special rules experimented in the past couple of years, ahead of a major rendezvous in the Tour de France 2026 with the same format, make this collective ordeal an individual effort as well. After they survived the traps of the first couple of days with the essential support of their teammates, GC contenders now need them to propel them at blazing speed, from the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Courts to Nevers’s city centre, before a final rush to the line where it will be very rider for himself.

The defending champion Matteo Jorgenson and his associate Jonas Vingegaard rely on a very strong Visma-Lease a Bike line-up; the likes of Brandon McNulty, Joao Almeida and Pavel Sivakov are expected fly with UAE Team Emirates; Ineos Grenadiers are filled with powerhouses; XDS Astana count on their new collective strength; etc, etc… Teams will show their worth. But in the end, it’s all about the one individual who will manage to pounce away both from his rivals and teammates to strike a significant blow ahead of the big climbing challenges of Paris-Nice 2025.