Paris-Nice 2024 Route stage 1: Les Mureaux - Les Mureaux

Sunday 3 March - The Race to the Sun opens with a lumpy race of 157.7 kilometres with start and finish in Les Mureaux. A 2.3 kilometres climb at 5.1% inside the last 13 kilometres is expected to play an important role in the finale.

Les Mureaux is a suburb of Paris, located roughly 40 kilometres from the Eiffel Tower. The riders roll out of town and head in southerly direction to take on the first and biggest of two laps.

The Côte de Bazemont appears early on, a hill of 1.7 kilometres with an average gradient of 6.6%. The route continues on rolling roads until the Côte d’Herbeville gives a first taste of the finale. The 2.6 kilometres climb at 5.1% - but with sections up to 14% - is crested 12.4 kilometres before the first passage on the line.

The first Les Mureaux-Les Mureaux lap is 100 kilometres long. The second is identical, but with the middle section take out. Which obviously causes the distance between the Côte de Bazemont and Côte d’Herbeville to be reduced - to a little over 25 kilometres to be precise. The section in between is not entirely flat, while the punchy ramp in Montainville stands out. It's short, but goes up at 10%. The sprint for time bonuses is situated at the top.

The riders descend from Montainville to the base of the Côte d’Herbeville. The last 12.4 kilometres open with a flat section of 4 kilometres before a dowhill leads to a flat 4 kilometres long run-in to the line. The home straight goes ever so slightly uphill.

The first three riders on the line gain time bonuses of 10, 6 and 4 seconds, while the intermediate sprint in Montainville comes with 6, 4 and 2 seconds.

Ride the route yourself? Download GPX stage 1 Paris-Nice 2024.

Another interesting read: results 1st stage 2024 Paris-Nice.