Date: Sunday March 9, 2025 - Sunday March 16, 2025
Start: Le Perray-en-Yvelines
Finish: Nice
Total distance: 1,212.6km
Stages: 8
Defending champion: Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike)
Now in its 83rd edition, Paris-Nice, also named the Race to the Sun, has become one of the most critical races in many riders' calendars outside of the three Grand Tours. Run by ASO, the same company which runs the Tour de France and Paris-Roubaix, Paris-Nice is a testing week-long tour, with competing riders needing to be good climbers and time triallists to be in with a chance of winning. Much like the Tour, the leader in the general classification will wear a yellow jersey.
Sean Kelly holds the record for victories in this race having won seven consecutive editions from 1982 until 1988. The only other rider to come close to Kelly’s record is French rider Jacques Anquetil, who won the Paris-Nice GC on five occasions. No one in recent years has come close to rivalling Kelly’s dominance.
The defending champion is the American Matteo Jorgenson, who in 2024 won the race for the first time in his career. Jorgenson returns to the race in 2025 but is likely to be a domestique for the Visma-Lease a Bike leader and stage racing specialist Jonas Vingegaard. The Dane is certainly the headline act of the race, especially since his perennial rival and 2023 winner Tadej Pogacar, who is focusing on the Classics this spring, will be absent. In the world champion’s place, his teammate João Almeida will lead UAE Team Emirates and will likely be Vingegaard’s principal challenger. Sprinters Tim Merlier (Soudal–Quick-Step), Sam Welsford (Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe), Fabio Jakobsen (Picnic PostNL) and Arnaud Démare (Arkéa B&B Hotels), Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) will look to take the honours on the three flatter stages.
Paris-Nice teams:
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Alpecin - Deceuninck
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Arkéa - B&B Hotels
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Bahrain - Victorious
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Caja Rural - Seguros RGA
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Cofidis
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Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team
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EF Education - EasyPost
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Groupama - FDJ
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Ineos Grenadiers
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Intermarché - Wanty
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Lidl - Trek
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Movistar Team
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Red Bull - Bora - hansgrohe
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Soudal Quick-Step
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Team Jayco Alula
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Team Picnic PostNL
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Team TotalEnergies
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Team Visma | Lease a Bike
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Tudor Pro Cycling Team
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UAE Team Emirates - XRG
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Uno-X Mobility
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XDS Astana Team
Paris-Nice route:
The 2025 edition follows a similar format to previous years with the race starting in Le Perray-en-Yvelines, a commune to the south-west of Paris, before heading south towards Nice where the race finishes. It is a well-rounded race, featuring a team time trial, a chance for the sprinters, a couple of medium mountain stages and plenty of opportunities for those who love climbing.
Stage one is deceptively hilly – with three categorised climbs over the 156km route, which starts and finishes in Le Perray-en-Yvelines via a route that comprises a figure of eight surrounding countryside. The route goes over Côte de Villiers-Saint-Frédéric twice, which is a tough but short climb of 1.2km at 7%. Those looking to target the GC will have to be cautious of any breakaway chancers looking to get a substantial early lead but this stage should be won by a sprinter.
Stage two from Montesson to Bellegarde is a relatively flat stage, but it is exposed, and therefore the wind can play a critical factor in who wins the stage. It also has two category three climbs early on but should again be won by a sprinter. Like last year, the TTT is an undulating route. At 28.4km, the course has a number of rolling climbs and one sharp hill of 1km at 5.4% maxing out at 11% only 4km from the finish, meaning teams will need to pace their efforts well.
The following stage sees the first summit finish atop La Loge des Gardes, a category one test of 6.7km at 7.1%. Before they reach this final climb, the riders will have to take on five previous categorised climbs in what will be a challenging day on the saddle.
Stage five takes on a lumpy route from Saint-Just-en-Chevalet to La Côte-Saint-André. The final 50km is littered with double-digit percentage climbs, including a savage final 1.7km averaging 11.1% and maxing out at 18%. The stage is likely to be a breakaway win but GC riders could also be in the mix.
The next stage is easier and represents the sprinters’ final chance to take something from the race. The longest stage of the race at 210km is largely flat and should end in a bunch sprint at Berre l’Étang.
The penultimate stage Paris-Nice is where the peloton will get a real taste of the upcoming Tour de France. The stage starts in Nice and will climb two category two climbs before the La Colmiane – a 7.5km climb with an average gradient of 7.1% used in last year’s race. Like last year, after reaching Isola, the route heads towards Auron, where the stage will close on a summit finish on a category one climb of 7.3km at 7.2%.
Starting and finishing in Nice, the final stage of the race is no walk in the park. Over the short 120km stage, the riders will face three category one climbs. Like last year, the final climb – the Col des Quatre Chemons – comes at just 10km from the finish and is 3.6km in length and sees peaks of 16%. If there are small time gaps between the top 10, no rider will be able to rest on their laurels.
Stage one: Le Perray-en-Yvelines - Le Perray-en-Yvelines / 156km
Stage two: Montesson - Bellegarde / 184km
Stage three: Circuit Nevers Magny-Cours - Nevers / 28.4km (TTT)
Stage four: Vichy - La Loge des Gardes / 163km
Stage five: Saint-Just-en-Chevalet - La Côte-Saint-André / 203km
Stage six: Saint-Julien-en-Saint-Alban - Berre l'Étang / 210km
Stage seven: Nice - Auron / 148km
Stage eight: Nice - Nice / 120km
