The 83rd edition of Paris-Nice is the first pivotal race on European soil. And Jonas Vingegaard has chosen it to continue his 2025 season ramp-up, which has already started with a victorious start in Portugal. However, the Visma-Lease a Bike leader will let his American teammate Matteo Jorgenson, winner in 2024, have the privilege of wearing the number 1 race bib.
The Danish favorite in the event, third in 2023, will try to win the Race to the Sun for the first time but will have no room for error given the presence of rivals such as Brandon McNulty, Joao Almeida, Santiago Buitrago, Aleksandr Vlasov, Ben O’Connor, Felix Gall, Romain Bardet and Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet.
Among the sprinters, the clash will likely be between two men in form at the start of the season, Mads Pedersen and Tim Merlier.
Indeed, the plan is well conceived, as this is how Jonas Vingegaard likes to work. His goal of returning to the top of the Tour de France hierarchy hinges on a program that began in Portugal with a victory in the Tour of the Algarve after a time trial that he won hands down. The Danish cyclist’s theoretical runway now takes to the roads of Paris-Nice, a race he competed in during his incredibly successful 2023 campaign. However, he wasn’t as formidable as he was in July. That year, he came third in the Race to the Sun behind Tadej Pogačar and David Gaudu, who are not participating this year, which does not mean the road is clear for Vingegaard. Firstly, the title holder, Matteo Jorgenson, could benefit from his Visma-Lease a Bike team leader’s generosity, provided he performs at the same level as last year. And above all, it is because top-class contenders are lining up to take on the two-time Tour de France winner.
The first decisive moment should sort out the contenders in the team time trial in Nevers (stage 3), where riders such as Brandon McNulty, who briefly wore the yellow and white jersey and finished third in the general classification last year, Aleksandr Vlasov, runner-up in 2021 and winner in 2024 at the Madone d’Utelle, but also Max Schachmann, twice winner of the Race to the Sun and recently fifth in Algarve, will have an opportunity to make their mark. The list could be confirmed and, above all, extended the very next day, as the climb to the Loge des Gardes, which Vingegaard failed to tame two years ago, will certainly suit climbers such as Santiago Buitrago, winner of the Tour of Valencia just over two weeks ago, just ahead of João Almeida, who will also be in contention in the French department of Allier (stage 4). The terrain will also lend itself to a resounding attack by a puncher like Julian Alaphilippe, who will ride in his debut race in France for his new team and will also have his sights set on the finish in La Côte Saint-André (stage 5).The weekend’s programme will feature higher peaks with the finish in Auron (stage 7), undoubtedly conducive to a demonstration by Vingegaard if he can drop other mountain aces such as 2024 Vuelta runner-up Ben O’ Connor, Dutchman Thymen Arensman, whose mission will be to restore Ineos Grenadiers to the success it enjoyed in the 2010s, Frenchman Romain Bardet in his final appearance in the event and Lenny Martinez in his first. The Cannes native could also find himself competing for the white jersey with Spaniard Ivan Romeo, who was also born in the summer of 2003 and was fourth in the UAE Tour last week.
They may not be concerned with the outcome of the final weekend of Paris-Nice, but the sprinters will also get their chances throughout the week, especially near Bellegarde (stage 2) and then Berre l’Étang (stage 6). Mads Pedersen, a regular on the French roads at the start of the season and this year’s winner of the Tour de la Provence, will be on familiar ground but will have to battle hard with European champion Tim Merlier, who has already raised his arms four times in the Middle-East. Both will have to keep an eye on other contenders for the sprints, such as Arnaud Démare, Alexander Kristoff, Alberto Dainese and Soren Waerenskjold, whose burst of speed wreaked havoc on the Etoile de Bessèges.
22 TEAMS, THE LEADING ENTRANTS
Australia
Team Jayco AlUla: O’Connor, Matthews (Aus)
Bahrain
Bahrain Victorious: Buitrago (Col), Haig (Aus), Martinez (Fra)
Belgium
Soudal Quick-Step: Merlier, Van Wilder (Bel), Schachmann (Ger)
Intermarché-Wanty: Page, Petit (Fra), Zimmermann (Ger)
Alpecin-Deceuninck: Del Grosso (Ned)
France
Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team: Gall (Aut), Bisseger (Swi), A.Paret-Peintre (Fra)
Cofidis: Perez (Fra)
Groupama-FDJ: Martin-Guyonnet, Cavagna (Fra), Küng (Swi)
TotalEnergies: Burgaudeau, Turgis (Fra), Cras (Bel)
Arkea-B&B Hotels: Démare, Costiou, Sénéchal (Fra)
Germany
Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe: Adria (Spa), Welsford (Aus), Vlasov
Kazakhstan
XDS Astana Team: Tejada (Col), Champoussin (Fra)
Netherlands
Team Visma Lease a Bike: Vingegaard (Den), Jorgenson (Usa), Zingle (Fra)
Team Picnic PostNL: Bardet, Barguil (Fra), Degenkolb (Ger), Jakobsen (Ned)
Norway
Uno-X Mobility: Kristoff, Kulset, Waerenskjold (Nor)
Spain
Movistar Team: Romeo (Spa), Rubio (Col)
Caja Rural-Seguros RGA: Barcelo, Leitao (Spa)
Switzerland
Tudor Pro Cycling Team: Alaphilippe (Fra), Brenner (Ger), Trentin, Dainese (Ita)
United Arab Emirates
UAE Team Emirates XRG: Almeida (Por), McNulty (Usa), Sivakov (Fra)
Uniteg Kingdom
Ineos Grenadiers : Arensman (Ned), Sheffield (Usa), Tarling (Gbr)
United States
EF Education-Easypost: Asgreen (Den), Powless (Usa)
Lidl-Trek: Skjelmose, Pedersen (Den), Bernard (Fra)
