Jonas Vingegaard crushed the 5th stage of this Paris–Nice 2026 by winning solo with more than two minutes ahead. Behind him, Valentin Paret-Peintre and Lenny Martinez pull off a good move, with the racer from Cannes moving up to 5th place overall.
The 5th stage of Paris–Nice between Cormoranche-sur-Saône and Colombier-le-Vieux covering 206.5 km promised an open scenario, terrain suited to both daring riders and general classification favorites. With a grueling course, difficulties scattered throughout the route and a particularly demanding finale, all the ingredients were in place for a major battle. And while a tight confrontation was expected, Jonas Vingegaard, already victorious the day before, swept away all suspense by winning solo with more than two minutes ahead, confirming a superiority already seen the previous day. Behind him, Valentin Paret-Peintre and Harold Tejada complete an unexpected podium, while Lenny Martinez pulls off a good operation in the overall standings.
An ambitious breakaway but doomed from the start
The start of the stage is marked by a succession of attacks, all destined to fail. No one manages to break away durably in the opening kilometers, proof that many riders had marked this day to try their luck. It takes a long time before the day’s breakaway forms, composed of Aleksandr Vlasov (Red Bull Bora hansgrohe), Joshua Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers), Rémi Cavagna (Groupama-FDJ), Jefferson Cepeda (Movistar) and Nicolas Prodhomme (Décathlon CMA CGM).
The leading group then expands, growing from five to eight riders with the arrival of Iván Romeo, Lorenzo Milesi and Victor Campenaerts. The breakaway riders build up to two minutes advantage, but the peloton never gives them real hope. The final profile, with the Sécheras climb (3.8 km at 7%), and especially the terrible Saint-Jean-de-Muzols climb (2.1 km at 10.9%), condemns their ambitions. The breakaway, despite its quality, ultimately has no chance of succeeding.
It is in this final part of the race that everything changes. As the first slopes of Saint-Jean-de-Muzols loom, Jonas Vingegaard decides to strike. A dry, unstoppable attack that leaves everyone behind. Lenny Martinez tries to hang on, but the Dane is already in another dimension. Behind, Oscar Onley and Kévin Vauquelin struggle to follow, even though the Norman tries to limit the damage. Steinhauser and Daniel Felipe Martínez, though well-positioned until then, completely crack.
The demonstration is total: the yellow jersey takes off, increases the gap at an impressive speed and heads toward a crushing victory. In the descent and then on the Saint-Barthélemy-le-Plain climb (4.6 km at 3.5%), he continues to build his lead, turning this stage into a true solo performance.
Lenny Martinez fought hard
At the finish, Jonas Vingegaard crosses the line with more than two minutes advantage, a huge gap at this level of competition. The Dane thus consolidates his leadership and sends a clear message to his rivals: he is the boss of this edition.
Behind him, Frenchman Valentin Paret-Peintre delivers a superb performance by taking second place. Not a threat in the general classification, he wasn’t watched by anyone, which allows him to fully express himself in the finale. Harold Tejada completes the podium after a steady and well-managed climb.
Lenny Martinez, fourth, signs a solid stage. While he couldn’t follow Vingegaard, he managed to maintain a high pace and benefits from the failures of several direct rivals. He thus moves up in the overall classification, now fifth at just 1’47 from the podium. An excellent move for the young climber from Bahrain Victorius.
Kévin Vauquelin, very active, is not rewarded for his efforts. Despite several attempts, he fails to gain time in the general classification. He will have to wait to hope to move up in the hierarchy.
With this masterful victory, Jonas Vingegaard confirms he is the strong man of Paris–Nice with no less than 3’22 advantage over Daniel Felipe Martinez second overall and who should continue to lose time in the coming days… The rest of the race promises to be exciting in the battle for the podium.
Tomorrow the riders will be in Vaucluse for 179 kilometers between Barbentane and Apt. A stage with a profile quite similar to today’s.
NicePremium is a free, independent local news outlet.
Help us keep going by supporting our work from €5 per month.
