The first 7 kilometres take the riders through the Var valley before they turn onto the climb to Carros. The ascent stretches for 7 kilometres at an average gradient of 5.1%. After passing through the hillside village, the road continues to rise at moderate gradients. It’s only 5 kilometres later that a short descent precedes the next climb. The Côte de Bouyon adds another 1.7 kilometres at 6.1%, and then, after 24.4 kilometres, the climbing is done for quite some time. The next 50 kilometres are relatively easy, with a mix of gentle descents, flat sections, and an occasional minor rise.
Midway through the stage, the riders return to the Var valley. They follow the river upstream for around 10 kilometres before turning into the Tinée valley. They continue along the valley to Drogon, where they then take the left-hand turn onto the final climb. The last 7.3 kilometres of the stage rise at 7.2% to the finish in Auron. The steepest section comes in the last 1.5 kilometres, when the road ramps up to 9% for 1 kilometre. The last few hundred metres then flatten out significantly.
Last year, stage 7 also finished in Auron following a similar route. Michael Storer took the victory by dropping his breakaway companion Mauro Schmid in the final 3 kilometres and soloing to the line.
The first three riders across the finish gain 10, 6 and 4 bonus seconds, while 6, 4 and 2 seconds are up for grabs at the intermediate sprint.
Ride the route yourself? Download GPX stage 7 Paris-Nice 2026.
Stage 7 of Paris–Nice starts at 11:20 and is expected to finish around 15:05 – both local times (CET).
Paris-Nice 2026 stage 7: route, profile, videos
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