Paris-Nice 2019 Route stage 1: Saint-Germain-en-Laye - Saint-Germain-en-Laye

Sunday 10 March - The 1st stage of Paric-Nice is an out-and-back race to the west of Paris. Start and finish are in Saint-Germain-en-Laye. The predominantly flat route amounts to 138.5 kilometres.

The 2013 edition of Paris-Nice set off in Saint-Germain-en-Laye also, but without returning to the western suburb of Paris. Instead the race led to Nemours, where Nacer Bouhanni sprinted to victory.

The route of the opener of Paris-Nice 2019 runs on rolling roads with two sections standing out. The first KOM points are up for grabs on the Côte de Beynes, a 1.2 kilometres hill with an average slope of 5.2%. The Beynes is crested after 20.5 kilometres.

The other KOM climb is situated in the last 30 kilometres of the race. The Côte de Beule climbs for 2.8 kilometres at 5.2% before it peaks out with 26.5 kilometres remaining. The route continues as before on flat to rolling roads and the finale is pepped up with an intermediate sprint on a false flat 3 kilometres before the finish.

The first three riders on the line win time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds, while the intermediate sprints (at kilometre 119.5 and at kilometre 135.5) come with 3, 2 and 1 seconds each.

Another interesting read: results/race report 1st stage 2019 Paris-Nice.