There’s a lot to be said for one week stage races. The good ones are concentrated versions of a grand tour with a varied mix of terrain and stage types. The brevity of the contest means every mountain stage counts and there’s rarely time to recover from mistakes. This year’s Paris-Nice was a textbook example and the final stage saved the best for last.
Geraint Thomas crosses the finish line in Nice. It was only at this moment that the result became clear to spectators as the clock on the gantry showed only a few seconds had elapsed since Alberto Contador had crossed the line. Thomas appears to be smiling above but it wasn’t until he’d come to a stop that he knew for sure he’d kept his jersey and won Paris-Nice.
Today’s the day, the most anticipated stage of the Paris-Nice with several climbs and a summit finish. It’s not the fiercest mountain stage by a long way but currently there are 30 riders within a minute of race leader Michael Matthews and the overall classification is going to get shaken up. Can Matthews hold on or will the likes of Contador, Majka, Thomas, Izaguirre or Dumoulin take the race lead?
Mont Ventoux dominates the profile and the imagination but it’s very unlikely to pick the winner today. Instead the route gradually levels out and the ensuing climbs are more decisive, including one with a hidden 20% section before the flat and windy run to the finish.
New for 2016 is the UCI’s Extreme Weather Protocol, a rule that concerns itself with bad weather of all kinds and it got its first use in the World Tour yesterday in Paris-Nice. As rule explainers go this is a quick one but worth exploring.
A sprint stage? Maybe the final sprint stage of the race. Warmer weather will greet the riders and a series of small climbs makes this a draining day.
After one sprint stage it’s time to get back to the action with some climbs and Mont Brouilly with its miniature summit finish.
Things return to normal with a classic transition stage, 213km to take the riders south towards an inevitable sprint finish.
Today’s stage features gravel road sectors late in the stage. There are two sections each covered twice on a finishing circuit that’s also got narrow roads, a steep “wall” climb and some tight bends. It’s all got the (cold) air of a spring classic.
Paris-Nice begins with a prologue, a chance for a time trial specialists to shine and for the GC contenders to gain time or limit their losses depending on their outlook and abilities. Don’t miss the early afternoon finish of this race.