Preview Paris-Nice 2025 | Visma | Lease a Bike brings super star team with both Jorgenson and Vingegaard

Strade Bianche on Saturday, Tirreno-Adriatico on Monday, and of course, Paris-Nice on Sunday—the cycling season is in full swing! The Race to the Sun has long been an important preparation race for the spring classics, but for many top riders, it’s also a major goal in itself. That’s no different this year, with Jonas Vingegaard among the star-studded lineup. IDLProCycling.com tells you everything you need to know!

The days when Paris-Nice could be won by riders like Davide Rebellin are long gone. During the years when Team Sky/INEOS dominated the Tour de France, they also used this French stage race as their first big test of the season. With Bradley Wiggins, Richie Porte, Geraint Thomas, Sergio Henao, and Egan Bernal, the British squad saw five of its riders win the race—and that list doesn’t even include their four-time Tour winner!

After that era of Sky dominance, Maximilian Schachmann won the race twice before Primož Roglič and Tadej Pogačar added their names to the prestigious winner’s list. Last season, Roglič (BORA-hansgrohe) and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) were the top favorites, but in the end, it was local rider Matteo Jorgenson—who lives in Nice—who triumphed after a brilliant week of racing in southern France.

Most recent winners Paris-Nice

2024 Matteo Jorgenson
2023 Tadej Pogacar
2022 Primoz Roglic
2021 Maximilian Schachmann
2020 Maximlian Schachmann
2019 Egan Bernal
2018 Marc Soler
2017 Sergio Henao
2016 Geraint Thomas
2015 Richie Porte

Paris-Nice 2025: Course, times and favorites for stage wins

Stage 1, Sunday, March 9: Le Perray-en-Yvelines - Le Perray-en-Yvelines (156.1 km)

The 2025 edition of Paris-Nice begins with a 156-kilometer stage, where the strong sprinters will be eager to seize their opportunity. The race starts in Le Perray-en-Yvelines, with two large local circuits and some small climbs, before finishing back in the same town.

Favorites
Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step)
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
Fabio Jakobsen (Picnic PostNL)

Times
Start: 11:45 AM (local time) | 5:45 AM (EST)
Finish: 3:23 PM (local time) | 9:23 AM (EST)  

Stage 2, Monday, March 10: Monteson - Bellegarde (183.9 km)

On day two, the peloton travels from Montesson to Bellegarde, in what is once again a flat stage. However, wind conditions could have a major impact on the race. If the wind doesn’t play a role (or if it does), the final kilometer in Bellegarde features a slight uphill finish, which could favor power sprinters.

Favorites
Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step)
Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X)
Emilien Jeanniere (TotalEnergies)

Times
Start: 12:20 PM | 6:20 AM (EST)
Finish: 4:31 PM | 10:31 AM (EST)

Stage 3, Tuesday, March 11: Nevers - Nevers (28.4 km, team time trial)

For stage three, the A.S.O. sticks to a format used last year—a team time trial, but with individual times counting. Tactically, this could make for interesting things, just like last season. The hilly profile of the 28-kilometer course means strategy and teamwork will be crucial to securing a strong result.

Favorites
Visma | Lease a Bike
INEOS Grenadiers
UAE Emirates-XRG

Times
Start: 2:30 PM | 8:30 AM (EST)
Finish: 4:28 PM | 10:28 AM (EST)

Stage 4, Wednesday, March 12: Vichy - La Loge des Gardes (163.4 km)

After the team time trial, the GC contenders will have their first real test on stage four. The 163.4-kilometer route starts in Vichy and features six categorized climbs—four third-category climbs, one second-category climb, and a first-category summit finish on La Loge des Gardes. This final climb is 6.7 kilometers long at an average gradient of 7.1%, making it challenging enough to create gaps among the favorites for the GC.

Favorites
Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek)
Jao Almeida (UAE Emirates-RG)

Times
Start: 12:30 PM | 6:30 AM (EST)
Finish: 4:29 PM | 10:29 AM (EST)

Stage 5, Thursday, March 13: Saint-Just-en-Chevalet - La Côte-Saint-André (203.3 km)

On Wednesday, we saw six climbs, but Thursday brings even more—with seven categorized ascents on the menu. As a counter to the "wall stage" in Tirreno-Adriatico, Paris-Nice has also been incorporating short, steep climbs in recent years. Stage five features five climbs of this nature, with a finish atop one of them—the Côte-Saint André, where the final kilometer averages 3.4%.

Favorites
Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious)
Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek)

Times
Start: 11:40 AM | 5:40 AM (EST)
Finish: 4:30 PM | 10:30 AM (EST)

Stage 6, Friday, March 14: Saint-Julien-en-Saint-Alban - Berre l'Étang (209.8 km)

On Friday, riders will face back-to-back 200+ kilometer stages, though this one is significantly flatter than the previous day. This should provide the sprinters with another opportunity before heading into the traditionally brutal final weekend of Paris-Nice.

Favorites
Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step)
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
Michael Matthews (Jayco AlUla)

Times
Start: 11:35 AM | 5:35 AM (EST)
Finish: 4:28 PM | 10:28 AM (EST)

Stage 7, Saturday, March 15: Nice - Auron (147.8 km)

On day seven, the race finishes in Auron, following a 7.3-kilometer climb at 7.2%. This summit was also planned last year, but due to severe weather conditions, the final climb was ultimately canceled. Despite last year’s setbacks, the Paris-Nice organizers have decided to reintroduce the climb into the 2025 edition.

Favorites
Aleksandr Vlasov (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)
Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R)

Times
Start: 11:15 AM | 5:15 AM (EST)
Finish: 3:08 PM | 9:08 AM (EST)

Stage 8, Sunday, March 16: Nice - Nice (119.9 km)

The final stage of Paris-Nice follows a familiar recipe—starting and finishing in the Côte d'Azur metropolis, with a detour into the hills overlooking the city. The Col de la Porte, Côte de Peille, and Col d'Èze will already put lactic acid in the riders' legs, but the Col des Quatre Chemins—featuring a penultimate kilometer at 13.5%—has the potential to blow the race wide open.

Favorites
Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost)
Ben O'Connor (Jayco AlUla)

Times
Start: 2:10 PM | 8:10 AM (EST)
Finish: 5:10 PM | 11:10 AM (EST)

Favorites general classification Paris-Nice 2025

Note: the list of participants is not complete at the time of writing, so this section is subject to change.

There is no doubt which team will be expected to control the race—Visma | Lease a Bike, with Jonas Vingegaard and Matteo Jorgenson as dual leaders. Vingegaard has already shown his strong form in the Volta ao Algarve and is the biggest name on the start list. Meanwhile, Jorgenson, who lives in Nice, has openly stated his ambition to defend his 2024 Paris-Nice title.

The team most often mentioned alongside Visma is UAE Team Emirates-XRG, but they arrive without Tadej Pogacar. However, they still line up strong contenders in João Almeida and Brandon McNulty. Almeida showed in Algarve that he could challenge Vingegaard, though he wasn’t at 100% for the final time trial. McNulty, on the other hand, finished third in last year's Race to the Sun and could be a serious threat.

Read more below the photo!

Are there any other contenders left? There are plenty of challengers beyond the Visma-UAE rivalry. Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek), Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious, alongside Lenny Martinez), and Aleksandr Vlasov (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, sharing leadership with Florian Lipowitz) all performed well in this race last year. Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost), another Nice local, also impressed in 2023.

Among the outsiders, Ben O’Connor, one of 2024’s breakout stars, has moved from Decathlon AG2R, now led by Felix Gall, to Jayco AlUla. Other potential top-10 finishers include Thymen Arensman (INEOS Grenadiers), Movistar’s Pablo Castrilo, Iván Romeo, and Einer Rubio, XDS-Astana’s Harold Tejada, and two-time winner Max Schachmann, who will be joined by his Soudal Quick-Step teammate Ilan Van Wilder.

Who are the favorites for the Paris-Nice 2025 final classification, according to IDLProCycling.com?

Top favorites: Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Joao Almeida (UAE-Emirates XRG)
Outsiders: Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike), Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek), Ben O'Connor (Jayco AlUla) and Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious)
Long shots: Brandon McNulty (UAE Emirates-XRG), Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost), Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious), Thymen Arensman (INEOS Grenadiers), Aleksandr Vlasov, Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R) and Ivan Romeo (Movistar)

TV coverage Paris-Nice 2025

The French stage race will, of course, be broadcasted live. Most stages can be watched on Eurosport from 2:00 PM (local time), while HBO Max will start coverage slightly earlier on certain days. On Sporza (VRT 1), the broadcast typically begins a bit later. The race finishes at 4:30 PM (local time), except for stages one and seven, which end earlier.

Read also

How Jonas Vingegaard believes he can challenge Tadej Pogacar in 2025 precisely because of his heavy crash

"I won't race for any other team than Visma | Lease a Bike for the rest of my career"—It’s a huge compliment to the team

Pogacar is unfazed by UAE Teammates’ attack on Vingegaard: "I get the questions"

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