Paris-Nice’s 2nd stage starts in the countryside southeast of Paris. In a straight line the riders head south to finish in Vierzon, a town in the heart of France. The route is mostly flat and the finale in Vierzon is likely to see a fast finishers showdown, although the last 500 metres are tricky as they go up at 4%.
Last year, Sonny Colbrelli won the 2nd stage of Paris-Nice by outsprinting John Degenkolb and Arnaud Démare after a race that was marked by echelons.
The first three riders on the line take time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds, while the two intermediate sprints (at kilometre 63.5 and at kilometre 173.5) come with 3, 2 and 1 seconds.
Read also: results/race report 2nd stage 2018 Paris-Nice.
Paris-Nice 2018 stage 2: Route maps, height profiles, and more
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