On the occasion of the first stage of this 83rd edition of Paris-Nice, it was the Belgian Tim Merlier who stood out in the sprint.
The 2025 edition of Paris-Nice has been launched. This first stage, which could have been tricky with risks of crosswinds, proved otherwise. On this circuit that brought the riders back to their starting point at le Perray-en-Yvelines, no such issues arose. Although a breakaway of three riders (Taco Van Der Hoorn, Alexandre Delettre, and Samuel Fernandez) quickly formed, they never had the chance to take a significant lead. Their effort was concluded about fifty kilometers from the finish.
There wasn’t much to report, apart from a fine attempt by Julian Alaphilippe on the second ascent of the Côte de Villiers-Saint-Frédéric, which features a gradient of 15% in certain sections. Behind him, the race began to open up.
Once the last challenge was overcome, during which the Nice native Clément Champoussin was quickly assisted after experiencing a mechanical issue, teams found it challenging to organize themselves for battle. Several attacks jolted the peloton, but the situation eventually “returned to normal.”
With less than two kilometers to the finish, the highly tense peloton caught up with the breakaway group, which included Mattias Skjelmose. Under the red flame, the Soudal Quick-step team perfectly launched Tim Merlier, who claimed victory for the second time in his career on the roads of Paris-Nice. The European champion edged out former French champion Arnaud Démare.
