Paris–Nice 2026: GC Favourites
fotobureau Cor VosTwo-time Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard is the man to beat in Paris–Nice, while Juan Ayuso appears to be his main challenger on paper. Which stages are likely to deliver the most GC action, and who else could win the Race to the Sun?
(Slideshow route/profile)
Last updated: 7 March 2026 – dark horse Skjelmose out with wrist injury, contrary to earlier reports
Key stages: 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8
Lenny Martinez, Kévin Vauquelin and Oscar Onley are also riders to watch. The latter finished fourth in last year’s Tour de France and started this season with another fourth place in the Volta ao Algarve. Vauquelin was fifth in Portugal, while Juan Ayuso took the overall.
For Jonas Vingegaard, Paris–Nice marks his first race of the season. Ahead of his first major target, the Giro d’Italia, it is one of only two planned races. The other is the Volta a Catalunya.
Last year, Vingegaard also rode Paris–Nice with the intention of taking the overall win, but a crash in stage 5 forced him to withdraw. His teammate Matteo Jorgenson stepped in as the Visma leader, winning the Race to the Sun for the second year running. The American skips the Race to the Sun this time.
Key stages
The first time gaps between the GC contenders are likely to appear in the stage 3 team time trial. The following day also promises excitement. Although the constant up-and-down finale is unlikely to create huge time differences, the brutally steep final kilometre will make it very clear who is not in contention for the overall win.
Stage 5 also looks good for ambitious GC riders to make a move. It’s a 206.3-kilometre hilly stage with roughly 3,000 metres of climbing. The finale is something to look forward to, as the riders tackle one climb after another in the last 35 kilometres.
Stage 6 is for the fast men before stage 7 heads into the high mountains, although it is a relatively gentle mountain stage by Paris–Nice standards. The run-in to the finish is largely uneventful, and it all comes down to the final climb to Aron: 7.3 kilometres at an average of 7.2%.
The final stage of Paris–Nice usually produces an exciting conclusion. This year’s parcours differs significantly from previous editions, but the outcome could still be exciting. The last climb of the day is the steep Côte du Linguador — 3.3 kilometres at 8.8% — and there are still 18.5 kilometres to the finish afterwards.
Even though it’s by no means the toughest mountain stage in Paris–Nice history, stage 7 appears to be the most decisive for the GC battle. After all, the race finishes on the longest climb of this edition, which is where cycling races tend to be won (and lost).
Paris–Nice 2026: GC favourites
**** Jonas Vingegaard, Juan Ayuso
*** Oscar Onley, Lenny Martinez, Kévin Vauquelin
** Brandon McNulty, Carlos Rodriguez, Aleksandr Vlasov
* David Gaudu, Daniel Felipe Martínez, Valentin Paret-Peintre
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