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March 8 ^th 2025 - 18:42

Stage 1 of Paris-Nice, in the department of Yvelines, will throw the first tricks of this year’s Race to the Sun at the 154 riders gearing for the 83rd edition. “I’m back to see if we can win as a team”, Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) assures with the defending winner Matteo Jorgenson by his side while Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor) races in France for the first time with his new team: “There are some very nice stages I really like.”

“THE REALLY INTERESTING PART IS THE LAST 25 KM”

Famed for its many twists and surprises, Paris-Nice kicks-off the 2025 edition with a stage around Le Perray-en-Yvelines (156.1km) open to different scenarios on the roads of the Yvelines department, hosting the start of the race for the 16th year consecutively. “We have a loop in the Versailles plain and another one through Chevreuses before we get back to the first loop”, describes Yannick Talabardon, director of Paris-Nice. “The really interesting part is the last 25 kilometres. There’s the Côte de Villiers-Saint-Frédéric; the last 400 metres is a wall, on a narrow road. And then, the road towards the sprint of Les Mesnuls, 9 kilometres before the finish, is exposed to the wind. Actually there are several areas where you can make the race really hard with just a bit of wind. And if there’s a strong wind, then it’s mayhem.” The sprint of Les Mesnuls is challenging as well, with 300metres of cobbles ahead of a 1-km ascent to reach the line. “The last two years, we’ve seen the likes of Pogacar, Vingegaard, Jorgenson and Evenepoel go for these early time bonuses”, Talabardon recalls. “And anyways, the finale shall entice teams who don’t have a sprinter to get on the move.” Will it be enough to overthrow the likes of Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) and Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), also dreaming of the first leader’s jersey of Paris-Nice 2025?

VINGEGAARD: “I’M BACK TO SEE IF WE CAN WIN”

A few weeks after his successful return to competition, Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) takes an important step on his path towards reconquering the highest summits. “I need to be better obviously to try and win the Tour de France”, the Dane said on the eve of his return to Paris-Nice. Third in 2023, Vingegaard is hopeful he can already beat that mark in the wake of his victory in Algarve: “Back then, I came to try to win so I was a bit disappointed. You can’t win every time… Now I’m back to see if we can win it as a team.” With a strong team by his side, the 2-time Tour de France winner is ready to share the leadership with Matteo Jorgenson, the defending champion in Nice. “I have a very good relationship with Matteo and the thing is I’m also happy if he wins the race”, the Dane says. “It’s not like I’m so selfish I only want to win and I don’t care about anyone else. I’m also happy the he wins and I’m also happy to sacrifice myself when he’s in a position to win or when he’ the strongest one and has the biggest opportunity to win. And it works the other way around of course, he’s the same.”

JULIAN ALAPHILIPPE : “I RACE FOR VICTORIES”

Paris-Nice holds a special place in Julian Alaphilippe’s career. After his first strong results in the Ardennes and especially at La Flèche Wallonne (2nd in 2015 and 2016), The race to the Sun gave him his first major victory, in 2017, when he dominated the individual time-trial up Mont Brouilly and headed into the final week-end with the leader’s jersey. Five years after his last participation, the French star is about to make it his first race on French soil since his move to Tudor in the off-season. “I’m very happy because it’s been quite some time since I last came here and Paris-Nice is among my best memories”, Alaphilippe said. “There are some very nice stages I really like, they could suit me. And it’s also important to be here ahead of what’s coming with a big program in the classics.” Looking forward to showing his strength with his new colours, Alaphilippe comes with good sensations and high ambitions: “I recovered well after Algarve and I worked well towards Paris-Nice. It’s all new with Tudor but I still approach things the same way, with goals during the all week: Alberto Dainese will do the sprints, Michael Storer can do well in the overall standings and I won’t deny I want to get a nice result. I still have the same ambition to perform, the same passion. I race for victories and I hope it will come soon.”

ALMEIDA: “I’M FEELING GOOD ABOUT THIS ONE”

At the top of the collective rankings, UAE Team Emirates-XRG have won 15 races so far in 2025, with seven different riders raising their arms aloft. And João Almeida is yet to join this list of winners although he showed strong legs in his first events of the season (2nd in the Volta Valenciana and in the Volta ao Algarve). “It’s been a good start of the season for me and the team”, the Portuguese says ahead of his 3rd participation in Paris-Nice (8th in 2022). “We’ve been winning a lot of races and basically fighting for all of them. Here in Paris-Nice we are looking forward to continue like that.” With the notable support of Brandon McNulty (3rd last year) and Pavel Sivakov (9th in 2023), Almeida wants “to be up there with the best guys and to fight for the win. I’m feeling good about this one.”

GUILLAUME MARTIN-GUYONNET: “I’M NOT SETTING MYSELF ANY LIMITS”

The only French rider to have reached the final podium of Paris-Nice in the past ten years was David Gaudu, 2nd in 2023 between Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard. In his absence, Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet spearheads Groupama-FDJ as he returns to the race with his new team. With Cofidis, he achieved his best result in 2021 (6th). And he’s determined to be at the fore again: “It’s the main piece in my first part of the season. In every WorldTour race, the top-10 is the minimum target but I'm not setting myself any limits. I've already been 6th, and I'd like to do better.” His first races with Groupama-FDJ also fill him with confidence, especially ahead of some treacherous days: “It’s not just about watts per kilos, you need to be able to position well and to be a complete athlete. I feel well surrounded, it gives me confidence. There’s no shortage of power if it comes to supporting me through the wind on the flat.” And his teammates’ strength will also serve him in Tuesday’s team time-trial: “I usually ask myself how I'm going to limit the damage, but this time will be very different. With Stefan Küng and Rémi Cavagna, we can approach things with ambition.”