In a stage marked by harsh weather conditions, it was the Portuguese rider Joao Almeida who claimed victory at the summit of the Loge des Gardes. A stage where the riders from Nice shone.
This 4th stage of Paris-Nice 2025 offered a playground suitable for climbers. Starting in Vichy, the riders covered over 163 km with nearly 3,000 meters of elevation gain. The biggest challenges were concentrated in the last 50 kilometers. As if that wasn’t challenging enough, the weather took a turn with March showers, hailstorms, and very cold temperatures in the Monts de la Madeleine. Conditions that even led the race management to neutralize the race for several minutes after the riders had completed 115 kilometers. While there was a moment when it seemed the race wouldn’t resume, it was eventually restarted 28 kilometers from the finish.
The freezing peloton launched into a fiercely competitive mountain race to try and warm up but also to create gaps under these particular conditions.
Unlike the previous days, the breakaway gained more ground. Eight riders were leading in a race controlled by the Visma Lise a bike team. There was thus little hope of seeing a breakaway artist claim victory at the Loge des Gardes finish. But the neutralization provided a glimmer of hope… up until ten kilometers from the finish.
The Nice native Lenny Martinez stood out
Driven by Mads Pedersen and several UAE riders, the peloton was reduced to around thirty riders. Only Tobias Fos, who broke away just before the neutralization, managed to hold out a bit longer. The Norwegian was eventually caught three kilometers from the finish. Thanks to Lenny Martinez who appeared to have regained good form in the final climb. The Nice native attempted to break away from the group of favorites, being followed only by Jonas Vingegaard. On a second attempt, the rider from the Côte d’Azur was finally countered by the Dane, who managed to gain a few meters’ lead. Behind them, the outsiders neutralized each other up to the red flame. Among them was the other Nice native, Clément Champoussin, who finished closely to the leading group.
In the final kilometer, the pace was very high. Just when it seemed Jonas Vingegaard was untouchable, Joao Almeida (UAE) managed to catch up with the double Tour de France winner and overtook him 100 meters from the finish. The Portuguese rider won this daunting stage ahead of Jonas Vingegaard, who took the yellow jersey, and Mattias Skjelmose. It was a good performance from Lenny Martinez, who finished 4th among the best riders, and Clément Champoussin (10th).
