Paris-Nice Stage 1 Preview

The race starts with stormy conditions and high winds, hopefully this means a testing race in crosswinds but it could lead to cross words and the extreme weather protocol being evoked. If all goes well a sprint is in store with an awkward climb just before the finish to stir things up.

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Who Will Win Paris-Nice?

The first major stage race of the year starts on Sunday and then makes its way to Nice. There will be daily stage previews here and ahead of the race here’s a look at who might shine in the “race to the sun”.

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World Tour Fines Need Increasing

It’s said Peter Sagan, Sep Vanmarcke and Greg Van Avermaet “could face fine for sidewalk riding at Omloop” as cyclingnews reports what Belgium’s Sporza interview with UCI commissaire Guy Dobbelaere.

These issues keep cropping up. As ever a rule is no good if it can’t be enforced. If there’s no way to force riders to comply in the heat of battle then why not hit them and their teams where it hurts: the bank account. For too long the UCI fines have been so cheap they’re practically an invitation to break the rules.

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Wednesday Shorts

Want to beat Peter Sagan? Then make him work. One small observation is that his position this year remains relatively upright and so he presents a bigger aerodynamic profile compared to his rivals. Once he’s done 50km in rotation with two breakaway companions, as we saw in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, then he’s likely to be low on energy. This won’t make him easy to beat, just an observation and an angle on how to tackle someone who otherwise looks formidable as his explosive power with 250m to go in Kuurne showed.

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