Last year, Paris-Nice opened with a leg from Bois d’Arcy to Bois d’Arcy, a place 30 kilometres west of Paris. This time the Race to the Sun starts closer to the original departure place. Paris lies 10 kilometres to the east of Chatou, while Meudon lies slightly more south, but at a similar distance.
For years, Paris-Nice started with a prologue or sprint stage, but last year the organisation opted for a punchy climb in the finale of the 1st stage. This inspired Julian Alaphilippe to attack with Arnaud Démare, the only rider capable to get to his wheel. The latter won the sprint.
A similar scenario is ready for 2018’s 1st stage. The leg ends with a 1.9 kilometres climb at 6% to the local observatory, while the final 500 metres are cobbled.
The rest of the race is played out on a flat to false flat route. With approximately 12 kilometres to go a slightly downhill section runs to 2 kilometres on the flat before the climb to the line appears.
The first three riders on the line take time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds, while the two intermediate sprints (at kilometre 33 and at kilometre 96) come with 3, 2 and 1 seconds.
Read also: results/race report 1st stage 2018 Paris-Nice.
Paris-Nice 2018 stage 1: Route maps, height profiles, and more
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